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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Freshman right-hander Matt Hoban (Monarch HS, Westminster, Colo.) threw seven shutout innings in game two Saturday to help Augustana win 7-5 and earn a doubleheader split with Illinois Wesleyan at Horenberg Field. The Titans took the opener 4-1. Coach Greg Wallace's club moved to 19-10 on the season and 7-7 in the CCIW. IWU is now 18-11 overall and 9-7 in the league. The teams will complete their three-game series with a single game at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field on Sunday, April 22. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 4, AUGUSTANA 1
 
Jacob Houghton gave Illinois Wesleyan a 1-0 lead with a solo homer off  Viking ace Mike Powers (Benet Academy, Downers Grove, Ill.) in the bottom of the second.
 
Augustana answered with a run off Titan starter Braden Miller in the top of the third. Senior Jack Hallmark (Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colo.) led off with a single to left and moved to second on an infield hit by classmate Carter Amundsen (Sheboygan South HS, Sheboygan, Wis.). Junior Ryan Kairis (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) moved both runners up with a sacrifice and Gunnar Haskins (Alleman HS, Moline, Ill.) delivered Hallmark with a sacrifice fly to center.
 
IWU retook the lead with a run in the sixth. Neil Figus led off with a single and eventually scored on Gino Cavalieri's single to left. The Titans gave reliever Eric Bennes a pair of insurance runs in the eighth. Cavalieri had another RBI single and Mike Plecki made it 4-1 with a sacrifice fly.
 
Bennes set the Vikings down in order in the ninth, completing four shutout innings of relief and earning the win to even his record at 2-2. Powers went seven innings and suffered just his second loss in seven decisions this year.
 
AUGUSTANA 7, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 5
 
Augustana used a pair of big innings to jump in front 7-0 and then weathered a five-run bottom of the ninth by IWU.
 
After Titan starter Matt Banaitis went just 1 2/3 innings, the Vikings got to reliever Nick Watson for three runs in the fourth. Senior Matt Loeffl (Grayslake Central HS, Grayslake, Ill.) drew a one-out walk and went to third on a single by classmate John Moraski (Kewanee HS, Kewanee, Ill.). Senior Tyler Nunez (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) walked to load the bases and everyone moved up on a passed ball, with Loeffl scoring the game's first run. Hallmark followed with a two-run double to right.
 
While Hoban cruised, Augustana gave him four more runs in the top of the sixth. A one-out walk to Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) started things and Nunez and Hallmark followed with singles to load the bases. Owens scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0, Amundsen had an RBI single and Kairis made it 7-0 with a two-run double to left.
 
Hoban left the bags full of Titans in the bottom of the sixth before ending his day with a 1-2-3 seventh.
 
Sophomore Chris Refka (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.), usually a starter, fanned three in a perfect eighth inning before IWU staged a rally against three Viking hurlers in the ninth. Holtz's RBI single off freshman Josh Chamberlain (Legacy HS, Thonrton, Colo.) got the Titans on the board. Freshman John Hayes (Cherry Creek HS,m Greenwood Village, Colo.) came on with the bases loaded and gave up an RBI single to Figus. Bases-loaded walks to Jake Stewart and Trevor Sefcik each forced in a run to make it 7-4.
 
Wallace called on senior closer Mitch Malone (Minooka HS, Minooka, Ill.) and after Cavalieri plated Figus with a sacrifice fly and Garrett Shea reached on an infield hit to load the bases, Malone fanned Joe Marras to end the game.
 
Hoban gave up just three hits, walked three and struck out five in seven shutout innings. He improved to 4-0 with the win. Malone earned his sixth save—tied for fifth-most ever in a season at Augustana.
 
Kairis and Hallmark each had two hits and two RBI and Nunez scored twice.