Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MOLINE, Ill. – Wheaton came from behind to win game one Monday and then took an early lead and fought off a ninth-inning Augustana rally in the nightcap, sweeping a twin bill from the Vikings at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field. Augustana dropped to 23-13 on the season and 8-10 in the CCIW. The Thunder improved to 17-18 overall and 11-7 in the league. Monday also marked senior day, with the Vikings honoring Danny Fifer (Lincoln-Way West HS, New Lenox, Ill.), Brandon Jasper (Central HS, DeWitt, Iowa), Kyle Lenihan (Romeoville HS, Romeoville, Ill.), Jacques Camalick (Hinsdale Central HS, Burr Ridge, Ill.), Kevin Hodgman (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.) and Seth Davis (Mullen HS, Aurora, Colo.), along with Assistant Director of Baseball Operations Hannah Sundwall before the game.
 
WHEATON 4, AUGUSTANA 2
 
The hosts jumped out in front with two first-inning runs in the opener. Jasper had a leadoff double to left and after a Nathan Gray (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) sacrifice bunt, scored on a wild pitch. Fifer beat out a perfect bunt down the third base line, stole second and scored on a single by freshman Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead.
 
A leadoff walk led to three Wheaton runs in the third. J.D. Carpenter coaxed the base-on-balls from Augustana starter Walter White (East Peoria HS, East Peoria, Ill.) and moved to second on a balk. Kyle Trivits laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Augustana couldn't get an out on the play, leaving runners at first and second. After a successful sacrifice, Josh Kimmel tied it with a two-run single to center. Matt Krause's single to center plated Kimmel with the go-ahead run.
 
The Vikings threatened in the third, when Fifer got plunked to lead off the inning and junior John Swiderski (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) followed with a walk. After junior Trace Gingerich (Sherrard HS, Sherrard, Ill.) sacrificed the runners to second and third, the Thunder made a pitching change, brining in John Schmitz for starter Josh Arevalo. After issuing a walk to Loeffl, Schmitz got Lenihan to line into an inning-ending double play.
 
Wheaton added a run in the seventh on an RBI single by Kimmel.
 
Schmitz would go the rest of the way, allowing just three hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win.
 
White absorbed his second loss in seven decisions. He went 6 2/3 innings, gave up four runs on four hits, walking three and fanning nine. Jasper and Fifer each had a pair of hits.
 
WHEATON 5, AUGUSTANA 3
 
The Vikings trailed 5-0 going to the bottom of the ninth in the nightcap. Jasper led off with a single and Gray walked. One out later, sophomore Mitchel Ruh (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) reached on an error, with Jasper scoring Augustana's first run. Gingerich doubled in Gray and after a Thunder pitching change, Camalick doubled in pinch-runner Jack Hallmark (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) to make it 5-3. However, reliever Nick Johnson got the final two outs to earn his second save of the season.
 
Hodgman pitched out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fourth, but Wheaton took the lead with three runs in the sixth. Peter Newman's pinch-hit RBI single knocked out the Viking starter in favor of sophomore Nick Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.). The Thunder added a run on an error and another on an RBI bunt single by John McKenna.
 
Johnny Peltz drove in a Wheaton run with a single to left in the seventh and another in the top of the ninth with a double to left.
 
Thunder starter Michael Kaufman had a two-hit shutout through eight innings. He got the win to even his record at 4-4, going 8 1/3 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits. Hodgman fell to 3-3 with the loss.
 
Jasper and Camalick had two hits each.