AUBURNDALE, Flor. - The Illinois College baseball team continued action at the 2024 Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational with a single-game against Moravian University Monday at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex. The Blueboys came back from a four-run deficit and used an eight-run eighth inning to defeat the Greyhounds by the final score of 15-4. With the victory, IC improves to 5-2 on the season.
Andrew Wieneke got the start on the mound for the Blueboys as he got in a early jam after issuing two walks. The Greyhounds struck first on the scoreboard in the first with an rbi double that took the early 1-0 lead. Moravian added a single run in the second on a sacrific fly. In the third, MU's Cole Cherkas hit a solo home run that extended the lead to 3-0. Two batters later, IC made its first pitching change of the game and called upon first-year
Anthony Buonaura. The Greyhounds added another run in the inning off a wild pitch by Buonaura that made the score 0-4.
In the top of the fourth,
Louie Bartletti led off the inning for IC with a walk as he advanced to second off a single from
Tyler Barker. With one out,
Connor Hennemann got IC on the board with an rbi single to center that scored Bartletti that made the score 1-4. After a single by
Jon Tate that loaded the bases,
Logan Schweigert hit a ground ball to third when the MU's third basemen attempted to get the force out at second when he launched the ball into short right field that allowed Hennemann and Barker to score that made the score 3-4. Immediately following that error,
Ryan Huskey tied the game at four apiece with an rbi single to right that scored Tate.
In the sixth inning, IC took the 6-4 lead on a two-run blast off the bat of Tate that scored Hennemann that promoted a Greyhound pitching change. In the bottom frame, IC called upon reliever
Tyler Allen as he entered the game with runners on first and second. With two outs, Moravian added a single run off a wild pitch from Allen that made the score 6-5 that promoted a pitching change to
Chris Campau. Campau got IC out of the inning without any further damage.
In the eighth inning, the Blueboys bats erupted for an eight-run inning that started on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch that plunked Huskey that scored Henneman.
Ryne Mapes followed up with an rbi single to right that scored Tate for the 8-5 lead. The next batter in
Adam Passmore increased the lead to 10-5 as he ripped a two-run rbi single to right that scored Schweigert and Huskey. With the bases loaded and no outs,
Nolan Decker drew a walk that scored Mapes for the 11-5 lead that promoted a MU pitching change. With one out, Hennemann hit a hot shot right back up the middle that scored Passmore and Bartletti that increased the lead to 13-5. Schweigert scored the final IC run of the game on a sacrifice fly that scored Decker.
For the game, Hennemann led IC with four hits while tying Schweigert with team-high three runs batted in. On the mound, IC used four different pitchers as Buonaura was credited with the win. As a pitching staff, IC struck out nine batters led by Buonaura with four and allowed just one run in final six innings.
The Blueboys will return to Lake Myrtle Sports Complex on Tuesday, March 5 to face Northland College at 9:15 AM Eastern Time.
