by Eric Willuweit

Fon du Lac, Wis - Illinois Tech baseball split a road double header Saturday in Wisconsin against host Marian University, with the Scarlet Hawks taking game one 14-9 while the Sabres shut out the Hawks in game two, 13-0 in seven innings. The Scarlet Hawks moved to 5-5 in NACC play, and 12-13 overall. The Sabres also drew even in conference play at 5-5 and moved to 12-11 overall.

In game one, the Scarlet Hawks exploded for seven runs in the first inning, and added four more runs in the third inning for an early 11-4 lead. The Scarlet Hawks added a single run in the fifth inning and two more runs in the top of the sixth to build a 14-4 lead. The Sabres added five runs over the final three inning but their comeback fell short. Connor Blake (1-1) earned the win for the Scarlet Hawks, pitching six innings, allowing four earned runs and scattering seven hits while striking out eight batters. Blake also went three for five at the plate, driving in two runs and scoring twice. Matthew Jackson belted another home run, going two for five with three RBI and a run scored. Tyler Gutsfeld, Samuel Sproule and Mason Kim each went three for six in the opening game, with Gutsfeld driving in two runs and scoring twice.

Game two was one to forget for the Scarlet Hawks, as they were only able to muster one hit in a game shortened to seven innings due to the ten-run rule. The Sabres came out hot, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, and adding three runs each in their half of the second, third and fourth innings for a 13-0 lead that would eventually stand. Sabres starter Jonah Landowski (3-1) earned the complete game victory, going seven shutout innings, allowing only one hit while striking out nine batters. Austin Schnurr was one of the Illinois Tech bright spots in game two, pitching the final three innings, allowing only one earned run and one hit.

Up Next

The Scarlet Hawks will finally play their home double header against Concordia Chicago on Wednesday afternoon at Ed Glancy Field, with game one starting at 12:00 PM and game two tentatively scheduled for 3:00 PM. The games were originally scheduled for Sunday, April 16th, but had to be postponed due to inclement weather.