Westfield, Ind. — Illinois Tech Baseball (1-0) pulled off a thrilling walk off 10-9 win over Wis.-Stevens Point (0-1) in an 11-inning showdown on Friday. The game turned on a pivotal four-run surge by Illinois Tech in the 11th, which overcame the Pointers' late push.

How it Happened 

In a nail-biter against Wis.-Stevens Point, Illinois Tech emerged victorious, 10-9, after 11 innings. The Pointers struck first with C. Brown's grand slam in the opening inning, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. The Scarlet Hawks answered back in the bottom of the first with Phillip Bentz's RBI triple and Ryan Staub's RBI single, narrowing the gap to 4-2.

Jack Friar's leadoff double in the fourth paved the way for him to score on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Illinois Tech took the lead in the sixth thanks to Christopher Degroot's clutch two-RBI single, putting them ahead 5-4.

The Scarlet Hawks extended their advantage in the seventh with Staub's RBI double, making it 6-4. Yet, the Pointers evened the score in the eighth on T. Ramirez's two-run homer, tying things up at 6-6. The ninth and tenth innings remained scoreless despite opportunities from each side.

In the eleventh, the Pointers grabbed a temporary 9-6 lead with N. Argersing's three-run double. But Illinois Tech responded fiercely in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Gutsfeld ignited the rally with a triple, scoring on Bentz's single. An error allowed Bentz to cross the plate, and Quinton Riepl delivered a two-RBI double, sealing a dramatic 10-9 walk off win for the Scarlet Hawks.

Pitching Recap

Joshua Lamberson's standout performance, hurling 5 innings without allowing a run, with 6 hits and 4 strikeouts. John Gori picked up the win, despite giving up 4 earned runs over 5 innings, striking out 4. For Wis.-Stevens Point, K. Schultz struck out 5 over 5 innings, while J. Schneider took the loss after conceding 2 earned runs in 2/3 inning. K. Wagenaar provided 3 scoreless innings, surrendering just 2 hits.

Illinois Tech Top Performers

Phillip Bentz
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- 3 runs
- 3 hits
- 2 RBIs
- 1 triple

Jack Friar
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- 3 runs
- 3 hits
- 1 double
- 1 stolen base

Ryan Staub
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- 1 run
- 2 hits
- 2 RBIs
- 1 double

Christopher Degroot
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- 1 run
- 3 RBIs
- 1 hit
- 1 walk

Quinton Riepl
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- 2 hits
- 2 RBIs
- 1 double

Wis. Stevens Point Top Performers

C. Brown
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- 4 RBIs
- 3 hits
- 1 home run
- 1 stolen base

T. Ramirez
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- 2 RBIs
- 4 hits
- 1 home run

N. Argersing
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- 3 RBIs
- 2 hits
- 1 double

Game Notes:
- This win marks Illinois Tech's first victory in eight attempts against the Pointers.
- Ryan Fostiak, Logan Inman, Ryan Staub, and Quinton Riepl all recorded their first college hit in the game

Up Next
Illinois Tech is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 28, squaring off against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in a doubleheader starting at 11AM in Westfield, Indiana.