MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois set season highs in runs and hits in a 22-3 rout of Illinois College, Tuesday, May 4 at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.
The Fighting Leathernecks (10-32) trailed the Blueboys (15-13) by a 3-0 score after the first inning, but an 11-run bottom of the fifth gave Western a lead it would never surrender.
The 22 runs were the most for a Leatherneck squad since the team defeated Medaille College 24-0 on March 14, 2009. Western's 23 hits in the ball game were the most since the team picked up 24 against Oakland on April 22, 2007.
"Today was good for our guys," Western Illinois head coach Mike Villano said. "This season has been pretty tough on both the players and us as a coaching staff. I'm really happy that our guys got to be on the winning end after a pretty long slump."
Illinois College got out to a quick 3-0 start on Leatherneck starter Carlos Pinedo, picking up three runs on a passed ball and an RBI double, but Pinedo would shut down the Blueboys over the next seven innings for his first win of the season.
Western Illinois got on the board in the fourth when Cole Waddell scored on a Tom Lilja sacrifice fly to right field to make the score 3-1. The Leathernecks would explode in the next inning, scoring 11 runs on nine hits and four errors.
"Offensively we started off slow today and got down early again," Villano said. "It was great to see us come back but we need to come better prepared to play hard from the beginning. We've got a tough game tomorrow with Bradley and a really tough series this weekend at Centenary and we've got to be mentally prepared to win those games."
Western sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning and tied the game up when Rich Mascheri scored on a throwing error by Blueboys catcher Ryan Howard.
The Leathernecks would take the lead on Waddell's RBI double in the next at bat and put the game well out of reach on the strength of home runs by Bryan Jordan and John Koszulinski.
Jordan's home run, his team-leading eighth of the season, pushed the lead to 9-3 before Koszulinski's three-run blast to center field stretch the lead to 12-3.
Western would strike again for five runs in the sixth, including two on Mascheri's two-run single up the middle, to make the score 17-3 heading in to the seventh.
The Leathernecks picked up one run in the seventh and scored four times in the eighth, with three coming on a Chris Giglio doubled to left center, to make the final 22-3.
Pinedo (1-2) earned the win, allowing just three unearned runs in a career-high eight innings of work. He walked just one batter and struck out a career high seven. The seven strikeouts tied four other Leatherneck pitchers for the most in a single game this season.
Matt White (0-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing eight runs on six hits in just two-thirds of an inning. He walked two and did not record a strikeout.
Chris Duguay pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Leathernecks. Pinedo and Duguay combined to throw just 101 pitches, 71 for strikes, in nine innings.
Waddell led Western's offense with a perfect 5-for-5 effort on the day, he set a career-high in hits in a single game and scored three runs while picking up two RBI.
Andrew Hagins and Jason Summers each finished 4-for-6 and scored twice. Hagins also knocked in two runs and started in center field for the first time this season.
Koszulinski was 2-for-6 with four RBI while Giglio finished 1-for-2 with four runs and three RBI, he walked four times. Jordan and Mascheri each knocked in two runs and Mascheri extended his hitting streak to 13 games, finishing 1-for-3.
Western Illinois out hit Illinois College by a 23-to-6 margin and drew 11 walks, the team's second highest single game total this season. The Leathernecks committed two errors to the Blueboys five.
Western Illinois returns to action at home at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, May 5, against Bradley before traveling to Centenary for a four-game Summit League series beginning at 6 p.m., Friday, May 7.
