Blueboys Baseball Win In Extra Innings After Six-Run Ninth Inning Comeback

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois College baseball team concluded the Midwest Conference weekend series against Beloit College Sunday afternoon at Joe Brooks Field. The Blueboys rallied from a six-run deficit in the ninth inning that tied the game at apiece. In the extra inning, Adam Passmore ripped a line drive to right when the ball trickled off the right fielder's glove that allowed pinch-runner Jonathan Odom to score for the walk-off 9-8 victory. With the victory, IC won the series two games to one and improve to 4-8 in MWC play. 

The series finale decision began with Branson Shaw earning his eighth start of the season on the mound. In the first inning, Shaw recorded a scoreless inning that included a strikeout. Beloit's starting pitcher in Kaiya Nishino countered with a scoreless bottom half of the first. 

For the next two innings, it was a pitcher duel between Shaw and Nishino as Shaw allowed no hits while Nishino gave up just one hit per inning. In the top of the fourth, the Buccaneers took the early 0-2 lead with a two-run home run from Brett Kiger. 

In the bottom of the fifth, the top-two hitters in the IC lineup in Ryne Mapes and Passmore recorded back-to-back singles when the single by Passmore advanced Mapes to third. With two outs, Louie Bartletti skied a moonshot pop-up to the BC's third baseman when the ball caught the blistering wind and landed fair that scored Mapes and cut the deficit to 1-2. 

In the top of the sixth, Beloit added three runs on two home runs; a solo home run by Kiger and a two-run blast by Miles Souza for the 1-5 lead that ended Shaw outing. IC called upon Jake Holder out of the bullpen as he recorded the first out of the inning with a flyout. After a single and walk issued by Holder, IC called up left-handed reliever in Charlie Lardi. Lardi got out of the inning with a 6-4-3 double-play started by Hennemann that erased the Bucs offensive threat. 

Beloit added a single-run in the seventh inning on a wild pitch issued by Lardi that made the score 1-6. In the bottom of the eighth, the Blueboys got a run back on a rbi single to right center off the bat of Hennemann as Bartletti came all the way around to score from first that made the score 2-6. In the top of the ninth, the Buccaneers increased the lead to 2-8 by scoring two runs in the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth with a six-run deficit, Logan Schweigert led off the inning by reaching base on a error by the Bucs third baseman. Immediately following that play, Brayden Weaver ripped a double down the right field line that advanced Schweigert to third. The designated hitter in today's game in Ryan Huskey drew a walk that loaded the bases for the top of the order in Mapes. 

With the bases loaded and no outs, Mapes used his fantastic batters-eye and drew a walk that scored Schweigert for the 3-8 deficit. The Lincoln Land transfer in Passmore scored Weaver on a fielder's choice that cut the deficit in half at 4-8. Moments later, Bartletti smashed a rbi double to center that scored Mapes that made the score 5-8. The next batter in Nolan Decker added a rbi with a sacrifice fly that scored Passmore that made the score 6-8.

With two outs, Hennemann followed up with a rbi double to right that scored Bartletti and cut the deficit to one at 7-8. Immediately following the play, the speedster in Brandon Smith entered the game as pinch runner at second. With Smith on second, Tyler Barker hit a ground ball to the Beloit's fifth-year caption shortshop in Matt O'Leary when O'Leary delivered an errant throw to first that allow Smith to score on the play which tied the game at eight apiece. The Blueboys rallied from a six-run deficit that forced an extra inning. 

In the extra inning, IC called upon first-year reliever in Anthony Buonaura with runners on second and third with no outs. Buonaura closed out the game by stranding both Beloit runners in scoring position by recording two groundouts and a strikeout. 

For the game, IC had four student-athletes recorded at least two hits as Passmore and Hennemann each drove in a team-high two runs apiece. On the mound, Shaw delivered five complete innings of work while striking out five. Reliever first-year pitcher in Lardi pitched 2.2 innings and struck out five. Buonaura shut the door on the Bucs and was credited with the win. 

The Blueboys will travel to Knox College for a MWC double-header on Tuesday, April 16 with first pitch at 1:00 PM in Galesburg, Illinois.