JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Illinois College split a doubleheader with Westminster on Wednesday at Joe Brooks Field, rallying for a 9-4 win in the opener before falling 7-6 in the second game.
Illinois College moves to 9-6 on the season while Westminster moves to 8-9.
Game One - Illinois College 9 Westminster 4
The Blueboys erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning to rally past Westminster and take the opener 9-4.
Westminster jumped out to an early lead, scoring once in the first inning and adding three more in the second to build a 4-0 advantage.
Illinois College began to chip away in the second inning when Nolan Decker connected on a solo home run to cut the deficit to three.
The Blueboys broke through in the sixth inning with a decisive rally. Decker launched his second home run of the game, a two-run shot that pulled Illinois College within one. After tying the game later in the frame, Nicholas Muskopf delivered the biggest hit of the inning with a bases-clearing double to give the Blueboys the lead. Muskopf later scored on a wild pitch, and Tyler Barker added an RBI single to cap the eight-run outburst.
Decker finished with two home runs and three RBIs, while Muskopf drove in three runs. Barker collected three hits and an RBI, and Logan Fleener also added a hit and scored during the rally.
On the mound, Aidan Lougeay earned the win with 5.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing four hits while striking out two after taking over in the second inning.
Game Two – Westminster 7 Illinois College 6
Westminster scored twice in the seventh inning to edge Illinois College 7-6 in the nightcap.
The Blueboys struck first in the opening inning when Nolan Decker drove in a run with a ground out to give Illinois College an early 1-0 lead.
Westminster answered with two runs in the third inning and later used a three-run sixth inning, aided by several Illinois College errors, to take a 5-4 lead.
Illinois College briefly regained the advantage in the bottom of the sixth when Nathan Walker launched a two-run home run to put the Blueboys ahead 6-5.
The lead did not hold, however, as Westminster scored twice in the top of the seventh, including the go-ahead run on an RBI single, to reclaim the lead.
Walker led the offense with three hits, including the home run and two RBIs, while Ethan Klunk collected three hits. Barker added a hit and an RBI, and Nick Williams finished with two hits.
Connor Akstulewicz was charged with the loss after allowing two runs in the seventh inning. Wade Sabo started and worked three innings, while Chase Schrader and Coy Dettmer also appeared in relief.
Up Next
The Blueboys return to Joe Brooks Field on Friday for a doubleheader against UW-Platteville, with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m.
