CHICAGO, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College suffered a pair of Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference setbacks on Wednesday, falling to Illinois Tech 12-2 and 17-7 at Ed Glancy Field.
Game 1: Illinois Tech 12, Wisconsin Lutheran 2 (7 Inn.)
The Scarlet Hawks (10-14, 5-5 NACC) struck first in the second inning, taking advantage of an error to plate an unearned run. The Warriors (6-17, 2-8 NACC) answered in the third when junior
Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.) delivered a sacrifice fly to score junior
Ian Rintelman (Muskego, Wis.) and even the score at 1-1.
IIT regained the lead in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs on an RBI single and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. WLC cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fifth on junior
Colt Ratliff's (Oxford, Ga.) sixth homerun of the season, but the momentum quickly shifted.
Illinois Tech responded with a decisive six-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double and three-run homer to extend the lead to 9-2. The Scarlet Hawks added three more runs in the sixth, capped by a bases-clearing double, to push the margin to 12-2.
Senior
Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.) led Wisconsin Lutheran at the plate, going 2-for-3, while Ratliff accounted for a homerun and RBI. Montgomery also drove in a run for the Warriors.
IIT was led by Quinton Riepl (2-for-5, two RBIs), Tyler Gutsfeld (2-for-2, three RBIs, three walks), and Ryan Fostiak, who drove in four runs. Luke Yachnin scored three times as well for Illinois Tech. Cameron Bracewell earned the win on the mound, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits over five innings while striking out five and walking four.
Game 2: Illinois Tech 17, Wisconsin Lutheran 7 (8 Inn.)
WLC struck first in the opening inning on an RBI single by Montgomery, but the Scarlet Hawks answered with a four-run bottom half highlighted by a two-run double.
Wisconsin Lutheran rallied with three runs in the second, including a solo homerun by freshman
Lincoln Thede (Appleton, Wis.), and added two more in the fourth on RBI singles from sophomore
Ryan Pierquet (Chilton, Wis.) and Ratliff to take a 6-5 lead.
After IIT regained the lead in the fifth, the Warriors evened the score at 7-7 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by sophomore
Connor Zorn (Huntley, Ill.). The tie was short-lived, as Illinois Tech responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, including back-to-back homeruns.
The Scarlet Hawks broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning and added two more in the eighth to enforce the run rule.
Ratliff led WLC at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Lopeztello also had three hits and scored twice. Pierquet added two hits and two runs, and Rintelman reached base three times, driving in a run and scoring once.
IIT was led by Philip Bentz, who went 5-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs scored. Matthew Reilly finished 4-for-5 with a game-high six RBIs, while Fostiak collected four hits and scored four times. Logan Inman added five hits and two RBIs. Joshua Lamberson earned the win in relief, allowing one run on three hits over 2 2/3 innings while striking out two.
Wisconsin Lutheran faces a quick turnaround, traveling to Watertown tomorrow for a 3 p.m. non-conference doubleheader against Maranatha Baptist (0-20) at Washington Park. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
Â
