RANTOUL, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College came away with a non-conference split on Saturday at Rantoul Family Sports Complex for its first win of the 2024 season. The Warriors fell to Lawrence 16-6 in seven innings in the opener, before putting together an 8-5 victory over Elmhurst in the nightcap.
The Vikings (3-1) picked up five runs in the bottom of the first to jump out to an early lead. WLC (1-4) responded with three runs of its own in the top of the third. Freshman
Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.) got it started with a single to right field. Sophomore
Eli Michaelis (Wauwatosa, Wis.) scored on a passed ball, and senior
Foster Engelhardt (North Richland Hills, Texas) scored the final run on a groundout to second.
LU answered right back with five more in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth, giving itself a 12-3 advantage. Wisconsin Lutheran picked up two runs in the top of the sixth, as junior
Tyler Danko (Milwaukee, Wis.) had an RBI double to right, and Michaelis had an infield RBI single. The Warriors scored one more in the top of the seventh, thanks to an RBI double from junior
Nolan Hodgins (Caledonia, Wis.), but Lawrence picked up four runs in the bottom of the seventh to enable the run-rule.
Montgomery, Michaelis, Danko, and Hodgins each tallied one hit and one RBI in the opener.
After a pitcher's dual through the first four innings, WLC scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth with a sac bunt from sophomore
Kason McFadden (Sachse, Texas). The Bluejays (0-2) tacked on three runs in the top of the sixth, but Wisconsin Lutheran plated six runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-3 lead. Hodgins got it started with a RBI infield single, sophomore
Tim Frerking (Oconomowoc, Wis.) had a RBI single to left, McFadden picked up another RBI on a walk, and sophomore
Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.) cleared the bases with a three-RBI hit to left. EU scored another run in the top of seventh and the Warriors countered with another in the bottom half, thanks to a balk from the Elmhurst pitcher. The Bluejays scored the final run of the game in the eighth and WLC picked up the 8-5 win.
Engelhardt had three hits for Wisconsin Lutheran. Hodgins as well as junior
Elijah Shevey (Muskego, Wis.) each tacked on two more hits. Lopeztello drove in three runs, McFadden drove in two, while Hodgins and Frerking each drove in one. Senior
Gabe Knight (Brighton, Mich.) picked up his first win of the season, while junior
Will Tucholski (Geneva, Ill.) notched his first save.
The Warriors wrap up their second weekend of the season tomorrow with a single game against Olivet (2-3) starting at 11 a.m. in Rantoul, Illinois.
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