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Illinois Institute of Technology

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3-19-25 Luke Yachnin Baseball
3-19-25 Luke Yachnin Baseball
1
Rockford ROCKFORD 10-5
2
Winner Illinois Tech ILLINOIS 6-9
Rockford ROCKFORD
10-5
1
Final
2
Illinois Tech ILLINOIS
6-9
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Rockford ROCKFORD 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 1
Illinois Tech ILLINOIS 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X 2 5 1

W: Garcia, Alejandro (2-0) L: Z. Fabis (3-1) S: Weis, Carson (1)

7
Rockford ROCKFORD 10-6
8
Winner Illinois Tech ILLINOIS 7-9
Rockford ROCKFORD
10-6
7
Final
8
Illinois Tech ILLINOIS
7-9
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Rockford ROCKFORD 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 7 10 4
Illinois Tech ILLINOIS 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 X 8 7 1

W: Henry, Ethan (1-0) L: A. Easton (1-2) S: Kotwasinski, Gabriel (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | by Ryan Cantlin

Baseball Takes The Crown Sweeping Regents in Double Header

Chicago, ILL — Illinois Tech's baseball team secured a thrilling two-game sweep of Rockford at Ed Glancy Field, with victories in both match ups. In Game 1, the Scarlet Hawks triumphed 2-1, thanks to strong pitching. Starter John Gori and relievers Alejandro Garcia, Cameron Bracewell, and Carson Weis held the Regents in check, while Illinois Tech's aggressive base running and timely hits helped them snatch the win. Game 2 saw a dramatic 8-7 victory, with Illinois Tech staging a comeback from a 6-4 deficit. The Scarlet Hawks benefited from Rockford's defensive miscues and clutch relief pitching from Ethan Henry to seal the win.  The win improves the Scarlet Hawks record to 7-9 with a 3-1 NACC record. 

Game 1: Illinois Tech 2, Rockford 1

How It Happened
Rockford threatened early, putting runners on base in both the first and third innings, but Illinois Tech's pitching staff worked out of trouble. Starter John Gori pitched three scoreless innings, working around three hits and four walks to keep the Regents off the board. Alejandro Garcia relieved him in the fourth and found himself in a jam in the fifth when Jake Bilotta reached on a single, stole second, and later scored on an error by Illinois Tech's center fielder, giving Rockford a 1-0 lead.
Illinois Tech responded in the bottom half of the inning. Phillip Bentz led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Matthew Bove walked, a passed ball allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Luke Yachnin then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Bentz home to tie the game. Bove, who had stolen third, took advantage of a throwing error by Rockford's catcher and crossed the plate to put Illinois Tech ahead 2-1.
The Scarlet Hawks held onto their slim lead with solid relief pitching. Cameron Bracewell tossed two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three. Carson Weis came in to close the game in the ninth and found himself in trouble after allowing back-to-back hits. With the tying run in scoring position, Weis induced an infield fly and then got Bilotta to ground into a double play to seal the win.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Inside the Box Score

  • Illinois Tech's pitching staff combined for 7 strikeouts, 5 walks, and 7 hits allowed over 9 innings.

  • Rockford pitchers limited Illinois Tech to just 5 hits, but defensive mistakes proved costly.

  • Both teams turned multiple double plays, keeping the game a low-scoring affair.

  • The Scarlet Hawks capitalized on two errors by Rockford, leading directly to both of their runs.

  • Illinois Tech's aggressive baserunning, including three stolen bases, helped manufacture scoring opportunities.


Game 2: Illinois Tech 8, Rockford 7

How It Happened
Game two was a thrilling, back-and-forth affair filled with tense moments and pivotal plays. It all began in the first inning, where Rockford struck first. Bilotta led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A second wild pitch allowed Bilotta to score, and then a Bryce Stanton single brought Joseph Stagowski home, giving Rockford a quick 2-0 lead. However, Illinois Tech responded immediately in the bottom of the first.
Tyler Gutsfeld started things off with a single, followed by Michael Paxson reaching base on a hit. Lucas Waunn then singled, scoring Gutsfeld and cutting the deficit to 2-1. A stolen base by Waunn and a throwing error scored Paxson. Philip Bentz then hit a single, bringing in Waunn, giving Illinois Tech a 3-2 lead.
The game continued with no shortage of excitement. Illinois Tech added to their lead in the second, with Yachnin walking and then stealing second. He advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI from Jack Friar, extending the lead to 4-2.
Rockford fought back in the fifth inning. After Blaise Mace reached base on a single, Stagowski came up big with a two-run home run, scoring Mace and tying the game at 4-4. The momentum continued to shift in favor of the visitors in the top of the sixth, as Rockford put up another two runs, climbing ahead 6-4. After a scoreless bottom of the sixth, Ethan Henry worked a three-up, three-down inning to bring the Scarlet Hawks back to the plate. The Hawks were able to scratch one run in the bottom of the inning as Yachnin came around to score after his single, but Rockford maintained the 6-5 edge. After another three-up, three-down inning by Henry, Illinois Tech was ready to capture the lead back.
In the bottom of the eighth, Bentz reached base on a hit by pitch. Josh Minami came off the bench and reached on a throwing error on a well-placed sac bunt. Continuing to play small ball, the Scarlet Hawks laid down two consecutive bunts by Bove and Yachnin, the first resulting in Bove reaching third base on the second throwing error of the inning. After the bunting barrage, the Hawks led 8-6.
Rockford tried to rally in the ninth, but Illinois Tech's bullpen, led by Ethan Jennsen and Gabriel Kotwasinski, shut down any chance of a comeback, securing the victory.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Inside the Boxscore

  • Illinois Tech's Offense: The Scarlet Hawks scored 8 runs on 7 hits. They capitalized on 5 Rockford errors and were aggressive on the bases, stealing 6. L. Yachnin led with 2 stolen bases.

  • Rockford's Offense: Rockford had 7 runs on 10 hits, with Stagowski's homer being key.

  • Pitching: Ethan Henry earned the win with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out 1. Gabriel Kotwasinski earned the save.

  • Defense: Rockford made 3 errors, leading to unearned runs. Illinois Tech made 5 errors but minimized damage in key moments.

  • Turning Point: Illinois Tech rallied in the 8th, scoring 3 unearned runs thanks to Rockford errors and aggressive baserunning, flipping a 6-4 deficit into an 8-6 lead.

Up Next

Baseball returns to action Saturday, March 29th, when they head south to face Marian University in another NACC doubleheader that starts at 12:00 p.m.

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