Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Braden Miller came out of the Illinois Wesleyan bullpen and threw four shutout innings against Augustana Tuesday, helping the Titans post a 5-2 win over the Vikings at Horenberger Field. IWU improved to 20-12 overall and 13-5 in the CCIW, while Augustana fell to 24-10 on the year and 10-8 in the league.
 
Wesleyan starter Casey Becker set the Vikings down in the top of the first and his teammates staked him to a 2-0 lead in the bottom half. Jake Stewart touched Augustana ace Zach Morgenstern (Peoria Notre Dame HS, East Peoria, Ill.) for a leadoff homer. Nick Figus then singled, moved to third on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Garrett Shea's single to left.
 
Coach Greg Wallace's club tied it in the second. Becker walked Mitchel Ruh (Hinckley-Big Rock HS, Big Rock, Ill.) and Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) to start the inning and Cayton Wallace's (Assumption HS, Roc Island, Ill.) bunt single loaded the bases. Ruh scored on a double-play grounder and Loeffl came home on a wild pitch to make it 2-2 after an inning and a half.
 
Miller came on to start the third and pitched around a Peter Doughty (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) double, leaving the senior stranded at third. In the bottom of the frame, Shea had another RBI single and Jarrod Juskiewicz delivered Figus with a sacrifice fly to put the Titans up 4-2.
 
Pat Mollo plated Stewart with a single in the fifth to give the hosts a 5-2 advantage.
 
Miller stymied the Vikings before leaving in favor of Nick Brune at the start of the seventh inning. Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) touched Brune for a one-out double to right center and one out later, Mike Avella (Crystal Lake South HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) walked and Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. However, Nick Huskisson relieved Brune and fanned Doughty to end the inning.
 
Augustana threatened again in the eighth and ninth, but came away empty, leaving two runners stranded in each inning. Sean Coonan came out of the IWU pen to get the final out and earn his second save. Miller (2-0) got  the win. Morgenstern went the distance and suffered his first loss in eight decisions this year. He gave up 10 hits and four earned runs, walking one and fanning nine.
 
Amundsen, Wallace and Nunez each had two of the Vikings' nine hits.
 
Augustana hosts Carthage in a three-game set this weekend. The series starts on Saturday, April 29 with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field.