Mequon, WIS- Baseball fell in both ends of their doubleheader on Saturday against Concordia Wisconsin, by finals 12–2 and 11-1. Mathew Bove did create a spark in game one launching a long homerun down the right field corner. The Hawks will look to bounce back next week in their final two conference double headers of the year. The Hawks are now 10-25 and 6-14 in NACC play.
Game 1 Illinois Tech 2 Concordia Wisconsin 12
How It Happened
The game stayed quiet through the first inning, but Concordia Wisconsin exploded for six runs in the bottom of the second. The Falcons capitalized on a fielding error to push across their first two runs, then kept the momentum going with an RBI groundout, a sacrifice fly, and a two-run homer to right field by Graham Kasten. Only one of the six runs was earned.
Illinois Tech answered in the top of the third, when
Matthew Bove launched a solo home run down the left field line, cutting the deficit to 6–1 with his first homerun of the season. However, Concordia responded quickly in the bottom half with an RBI double from Josh Aguiniga to restore a six-run lead.
The Scarlet Hawks chipped away again in the fourth as
Lucas Waunn singled up the middle to drive home
Phillip Bentz, trimming the margin to 7–2. But Concordia Wisconsin continued to pile on, scoring three more runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Scarlet Hawk Standout
- Matthew Bove: provided the highlight of the afternoon for Illinois Tech, blasting his first home run of the season to left field to get the Scarlet Hawks on the board. Bove finished the game 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI
- Christopher Degroot: collected two hits
- Mason Kim: went 2-3 with consistent hard contact
Inside the Box Score
- Illinois Tech tallied eight hits on the day but couldn't string them together consistently, leaving six runners on base.
- Concordia Wisconsin recorded 13 hits and took advantage of five unearned runs off Illinois Tech defensive errors.
- Cameron Bracewell (1–5) took the loss for Illinois Tech, striking out eight over five innings while allowing three earned runs.
- Jack Hribernik picked up the win for Concordia Wisconsin, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits.
- Illinois Tech turned one double play defensively, while Concordia also turned one.
Game 2 Illinois Tech 1 Concordia Wisconsin 11
How It Happened
Concordia Wisconsin struck first in the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Josh Aguiniga. They continued to build momentum in the third, adding another run when Tyler Brandenburg singled through the left side to bring home Connor Lasch.
The fourth inning proved pivotal, as the Falcons pushed across four more runs. A bases-loaded walk to Graham Kasten made it 3-0 before Lasch ripped a two-run single to right, and Matt Miller followed with an RBI single of his own to stretch the lead to 6-0.
After a sacrifice fly by Kasten in the fifth and a two-run double by Lasch later in the inning, Concordia Wisconsin held a commanding 9-0 advantage.
Illinois Tech's lone highlight came in the sixth when
Tanner Jenkins stole home during a double steal with
Tyler Gutsfeld swiping second, trimming the deficit to 9-1. However, Concordia answered quickly, adding two more runs across the sixth and seventh innings to close out the 11-1 win.
Scarlet Hawk Standout
- Phillip Bentz shined at the plate for Illinois Tech, reaching base in all three of his trips with two hits and a walk.
- Carson Weis: Collected three outs via the strikeout out of the bullpen
Inside the Box Score
- Offense: Illinois Tech collected eight hits, led by Bentz (2-for-2) and additional hits from Tyler Gutsfeld, Michael Paxson, Christopher DeGroot, Matthew Bove, Alec Weedman, and Tanner Jenkins.
- On the Bases: The Hawks were aggressive, notching three stolen bases (Gutsfeld, Jenkins, Yachnin).
- Concordia Wisconsin: Connor Lasch led the Falcons offensively with a 3-for-4 day, including a double and four RBI.
Up Next
Baseball will take on Benedictine in a road doubleheader on Tuesday April 29
th with a 12pm first pitch
