MARION, IND. - Indiana Wesleyan Baseball secured a 5-3 victory followed by an 11-5 win against Goshen on Saturday at Crandall Family Field. The Wildcats showcased their offensive prowess with a total of 17 hits and three home runs across both games, strengthening their standing in the Crossroads League. Through nearly half of the conference season, IWU sits in fourth place with a 3 game lead on MVNU. The Wildcats trail Huntington and Marian by a single game for second place with a key series against the Knights next weekend.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | Crandall Family Field
- Records: IWU - 17-11, 11-5 | GC - 2-25, 1-15
- Game One Score: IWU def. GC 5-3
- Game Two Score: IWU def. GC 11-5
- NAIA Rankings: IWU - NR | GC - NR
GAME ONE RECAP
- In the game one, both Indiana Wesleyan and the Maple Leafs remained scoreless through the first two innings. In the third inning, GC scored first with an RBI single by AJ Carrasquillo, bringing home Nathaniel Muriel. The red and grey quickly responded when Jackson Mott, pinch running for Trevor Vojtkofsky, scored on a sacrifice pop-up by Jay Tomes, tying the game at 1-1 after three innings.
- In the fourth inning, Chris Godden hit a solo home run for Goshen, but IWU regained the lead with a pair of RBI singles. Nick Wiley scored on a single by Greg Vineyard, who later stole second base and was brought in by Braxton Brosmer's hit. The inning ended with the Wildcats ahead 3-2.
- Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings. Goshen's Godden doubled to start the seventh, scoring on a single by Joel Berkholz, who advanced on an outfield error. Indiana Wesleyan responded in the bottom half when Trevor Vojtkofsky hit a clutch solo home run. Jay Tomes reached on an error, stole third base, and scored on another error, pushing the lead to 5-3 through seven innings. Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth innings, securing the 5-3 victory for Indiana Wesleyan.
- Corcoran delivered an impressive performance, pitching 6.2 innings while striking out 11 and allowing only three earned runs on six hits. He successfully maintained a WHIP of 0.97, showing control by issuing no walks over 103 pitches, with 76 strikes. Zach Troxel came in for relief, pitching 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit, and striking out one batter. Troxel secured his second save of the season with a WHIP of 0.95, efficiently closing out the game by inducing four groundouts and a double play.
KEY WILDCATS
GAME TWO RECAP
- In the second game, Indiana Wesleyan continued their momentum with an 11-5 victory over the Maple Leafs. The visiting team took an early lead with a run in the first inning when Fernando Marte Santana singled to center field, driving in Nathaniel Muriel, leading 1-0 through the first inning.
- The Wildcats responded in the bottom of the second. After Landon Ruoff singled and stole third, Nick Wiley delivered a crucial three-run homer, bringing home Ben Seitzinger and Ruoff. This gave the Wildcats a 3-2 lead by the end of the second inning.
- The third inning saw a surge from Indiana Wesleyan. Greg Vineyard doubled and scored on a single by Trevor Vojtkofsky. Landon Ruoff later singled to bring in Braxton Brosmer. A wild pitch allowed Jackson Mott, who pinch ran for Vojtkofsky, to score. Wiley continued his strong performance with a two-RBI single, and IWU led 9-4 after three innings.
- In the fourth inning, Indiana Wesleyan added an unearned run when Ruoff scored after advancing on an error. The score stood at 10-4. GC attempted a comeback with a run in the fifth inning, but the Wildcats extended their lead in the sixth, with Ruoff hitting a solo homer to conclude the scoring. The final score remained unchanged as neither team scored in the seventh inning.
- Tarick McGlothin pitched 2 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out one batter. He threw 33 pitches, 20 of which were strikes, and maintained a WHIP of 3.00. Cooper Chinn took over for 3 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned runs, with 1 strikeout and a WHIP of 2.00. Judah Simmons closed the game with 2 innings, allowing only 1 hit and no runs, inducing two double plays and maintaining a WHIP of 1.50.
KEY WILDCATS
LOOKING AHEAD
- IWU heads to Marian on Friday, March 27th at 1:00 PM.
- Links for video, and stats will be available at IWUWildcats.com.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
#
