CHICAGO, IL — The Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks ran into a red-hot Aurora squad on Tuesday at Ed Glancy Field, dropping both games of the conference doubleheader. Despite the lopsided results, Illinois Tech showed moments of grit, with
Michael Paxson launching his third home run of the season in Game 1 and
Tyler Gutsfeld collecting two of the team's three hits in Game 2. Aurora's consistent offense and dominant pitching proved too much to overcome. With the losses, Tech drops to 10-18 and 6-8 in NACC games. Aurora improves to 16-13 and 8-2 in the conference. The Hawks will look to regroup as they return
to action this Saturday against St. Norbert, with Senior Day festivities set to follow the doubleheader.
Game 1 Illinois Tech 3 Aurora 18
How It Happened
Aurora wasted no time setting the tone, plating two runs in the first on RBI singles from Kyle Mack and Ryan Buck. The floodgates opened in the second, where the Spartans capitalized on a combination of timely hits to add four more runs, extending their lead to 6–0.
A five-run fourth inning followed, breaking the game wide open.
Illinois Tech's bats were quiet early but showed some life in the fifth when
Michael Paxson launched a solo home run to right field, putting the Hawks on the board. They added two more runs in the seventh, including RBI contributions from
Luke Yachnin and
Jonah Wilkes, but the deficit was too steep to overcome.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Michael Paxson: Crushed a solo home run in the fifth, his third of the season. Finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
- Luke Yachnin: Reached base twice with two singles and an RBI; also swiped a base.
- Jonah Wilkes: Patient at the plate with two walks and an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.
Inside the Box Score
- Aurora outhit Illinois Tech 15 to 5 and benefited from 5 hit batters and 8 walks, leading to multiple scoring chances.
- Aurora's starter Justin Zimmerman was dominant, striking out 12 over 6 innings while allowing just one run on four hits.
Game 2 Illinois Tech 0 Aurora 10
How It Happened
Illinois Tech starter
Alejandro Garcia held the Spartans' bats scoreless through the first two innings, stranding runners in both innings. Aurora broke through in the third inning with a sacrifice fly by Kyle Mack and a two-run double from Logan Riley, jumping ahead 3–0. The Spartans continued to build momentum with a solo home run by Brayden Gorecki in the fourth — Gorecki's second of the day in the seventh — and a solo shot from Dominic Curcio in the eighth, stretching the final tally to 10–0.
Illinois Tech's offense had limited chances against Aurora ace Connor Hogan, who improved to 5–0 with eight shutout innings, scattering just three hits and striking out nine.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Tyler Gutsfeld:
o Went 2-for-3 at the plate, accounting for two of the team's three total hits.
o Swiped a base in the fourth inning for his team-leading stolen base mark.
- Phillip Bentz:
o Tallied the Hawks' third hit with a single in the fourth.
Inside the Box Score
- Hogan Dominates:
o Aurora's Connor Hogan tossed 8.0 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 9 without issuing a walk.
Up Next
Baseball returns to the diamond on Saturday, April 19th where they play host to St. Norbert at Ed Glancy Field. First pitch will be thrown at 12 PM. After the second contest of the day, fans are encouraged to stick around as the Senior Day recognition will take place.
