By: Dylan Jones (game one) and Austin Newton (game two) each went the distance for Illinois College, with the Blueboys taking game one on a walk-off single from Austin Gusewelle.
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Box Score 2
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Illinois College used a walk-off single from
Austin Gusewelle to win game one over Baruch College, 4-3, and then relied on a dominant pitching effort from
Austin Newton to take game two from the Bearcats, 6-1. The Blueboys now sit at 5-2 on the young season.
Game One: Illinois College 4, Baruch College 3
Baruch loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning and then scored the first run when Nicholas Altopiedi was hit by a pitch, bringing in JP Ramirez. The Bearcats tacked on another run, with Donovan Hunt scoring on a single from Davic Capellan, giving BC a 2-0 lead after two.
In the Illinois College third,
Drew Law led off with a single to left field, and then was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from
Brandon Skovronski.
Joe Paparelli followed with a single through the left side, bringing Law home and putting the Blueboys on the board.
The Blueboys' bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth. After
Eli Fox was hit by a pitch to load the bases,
Wyatt Parker doubled down the left-field line, bringing in Gusewelle and
Mason Durdel. That gave IC its first lead of the game, 3-2.
Jacob Auerbach reached with a pinch-hit single for Baruch to start off the seventh. Elvis Clime came in to pinch run for Auerbach, and immediately stole second. A blooper from Edwin St. Hilaire allowed Clime to come around and tie the game, 3-3.
In the bottom half of the inning,
Tim Sommerfeld came in to pinch run for Law after he singled to right field. Sommerfeld was advanced to second on a sac bunt from Skovronski. After Paparelli was intentionally walked, Durdel laced one through the gap, loading the bases for IC. That left Gusewelle at the plate, and he pushed a fastball between the first and second basemen, allowing Sommerfeld to score the winning run, giving IC the 4-3 victory.
Dylan Jones (1-0) picked up his first win of the season for Illinois College. He threw all seven innings and struck out seven.
Game Two- Illinois College 6, Baruch College 1
Once again, it was Baruch drawing first blood. Capellan came around and scored following a two-out error, giving the Bearcats the early 1-0 lead.
It was Illinois College's game from there on out.
Grant Argyilan struck out, but was able to make it to first on the wild pitch.
Dillon Hallemann walked, setting up
Brendan Stanfield, who tripled down the right-field line, scoring two for IC. Stanfield came in on a sacrifice fly from Durdel, giving the Blueboys a 3-1 lead through two innings.
IC added another run in the top of the third. Fox found the gap in left-center for a double, giving enough time for Paparelli to fly around the bases, putting the Blueboys up, 4-1.
The Blueboys delivered more insurance for Newton in the fifth, with Sommerfeld scoring on an error by the shortstop. In the seventh, Sommerfeld scored again, after a single from Fox. That gave IC a 6-1 advantage, securing the doubleheader sweep.
Newton (2-0) picked up the win, throwing all seven innings, fanning seven batters and only allowing three hits. Matteo Flamino (0-1) took the loss for Baruch.
Illinois College wraps up its Florida trip tomorrow, Mar. 8, with a single game against Penn State Fayette. First pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m. (EST).
