By Eric Willuweit

De Pere, Wis. - Playing their third consecutive Monday double header, the Illinois Tech baseball team made good use of their day of travel to Wisconsin, taking both games against St. Norbert, 9-4 and 7-3. With the victories, the Scarlet Hawks improved to 4-4 in NACC play, and improved to 11-12 overall. The Green Knights fell to 0-8 in conference play and 6-17 overall.

The Scarlet Hawks put up three runs in the first inning of game one, and never trailed, racking up 16 hits in the process. Cameron Bracewell went eight inning for the win (2-3), allowing three runs and scattering nine hits while striking out five batters. Michael Paxson went 4 for 5 with three RBI singles. Connor Blake was 3 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Tyler Gutsfeld picked up where he left off on Saturday, adding three more hits and scoring twice.

Game two started similar for Illinois Tech, scoring twice in the first inning. However, the game stayed close through the first five innings, with the Scarlet Hawks nursing a 4-3 lead until adding single runs in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings to eventually pull away. Alejandro Garcia pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory (5-1), allowing only four hits while striking out six batters. Zac Lis closed out the ninth inning. The Scarlet Hawks put up 15 hits in game two. Matthew Jackson slugged two home runs and drove in four runs. Brandon Bennitt went 3 for 5 with a home run and two runs scored. 

Game One (Illinois Tech 9 - St. Norbert 4)

The Scarlet Hawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Jackson drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. Blake scored from third base for the second run in the inning on an error by the pitcher on a pickoff attempt at first base. Paxson followed that up with an RBI single. St. Norbert would get a run back in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Caden Uhlenbrauck. Bennitt and the Hawks would respond in the top of the second with an RBI double, scoring David Cooper. The Scarlet Hawks would increase their lead to 5-1 in the top of the third inning on another RBI single by Paxson. After St. Norbert pushed across single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut their deficit to 5-3,  the Hawks added two runs in the top of the sixth inning on a Blake two-run home run, and a single run in the top of the seventh inning on Paxson's third RBI single of the game. The Scarlet Hawks topped off their scoring in game one in the 8th inning, when Gutsfeld scored from third on a double-steal attempt to give Illinois Tech a 9-3 lead. The Green Knights would get a single run in the bottom of the ninth to complete the scoring.

Game Two (Illinois Tech 7 - St. Norbert 3)

Jackson opened the scoring for the Scarlet Hawks in their half of the first inning with a two-run home run, scoring Gutsfeld. After a sacrifice fly by St. Norbert in the second inning cut the Illinois Tech lead to 2-1, Jackson responded in the third inning with another two-run home run, scoring Gutsfeld again to extend the Scarlet Hawks lead to 4-1. A pair of RBI singles by the Green Knights in the fourth inning brought St. Norbert within one run at 4-3. That would be as close as the Green Knights would get, however. Lucas Waunn delivered an RBI single for the Hawks in the sixth inning. Bennitt would belt a solo home run in the seventh inning, and Mason Kim would bring in Bennitt with an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning to give the Scarlet Hawks their margin of victory. Garcia shut down the St. Norbert through the eighth inning, and Lis finished off the job in the ninth.

Scarlet Hawks Standouts - (Combined Double Header)

• Jackson was 5 for 9 with 2 home runs, 5 RBI, 11 total bases and 3 runs scored.
• Paxson went 5 for 9 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 1 run scored.
• Bennitt was 5 for 10 with a home run, a double, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
• Gutsfeld went 4 for 9 with 4 runs scored and a stolen base.
• Blake was 3 for 8 with a home run, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored and a stolen base.
• Garcia with 4.1 scoreless inning in relief, picking up the win while yielding only 4 hits and striking out 6 batters.
• Bracewell pitching 8 innings in game one for the win, allowing only 3 runs and striking out 5.
• Lis with one inning of scoreless relief, striking out one.

Up Next

The Scarlet Hawks will return to Wisconsin on Saturday, April 15th, when they travel to Fon du Lac to face Marian in NACC double header action, beginning at 12:00 PM CT.