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Western Illinois University Athletics

ChrisTschida4.jpg
8
Winner Fort Wayne IPFW 11-6, 2-1 Summit
4
Western Illinois WIU 3-10, 1-2 Summit
Winner
Fort Wayne IPFW
11-6, 2-1 Summit
8
Final
4
Western Illinois WIU
3-10, 1-2 Summit
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Fort Wayne IPFW 0 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 8 10 4
Western Illinois WIU 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 10 3

W: Evan Miller (2-0) L: Church, Preston (1-3) S: Brandon Pease (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Come Up Short in Finale Against Fort Wayne

Jake Moore hit his second home run of the season in the 8-4 loss.

MACOMB, Ill. - Despite Jake Moore's second home run of the season, Western Illinois baseball fell to Fort Wayne, 8-4, on Sunday (March 15) in the series finale at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

A two-run first inning gave WIU an early 2-0 lead. However, it was not enough for the Leathernecks as Fort Wayne took the game and a 2-1 advantage in the season series. The loss drops western to 1-2 in The Summit League and 3-10 overall.

"We did not play well. It carried over a little from yesterday, but it starts with handling the baseball," said head coach Ryan Brownlee on the loss. "Preston (Church) didn't pitch bad, but we have to pick each other up and play with more energy. There is a certain way we have to play to play well, with a lot of pace and a lot of hop. The good thing about a 30-game league schedule is that one weekend at the end of it doesn't really make that big of a difference."

For the third straight game, Western came out of the gate strong. Church, the Purple and Gold starter, opened the game by striking out the side in the top of the first and extending his scoreless-innings streak to nine.

On offense the Leathernecks struck at their first opportunity. In the bottom of the first inning Payton Jeffers reached base on a one-out single up the middle. Adam McGinnis took a pitch off the shoulder to put runners on first and second with one out. A ground ball from JJ Reimer forced Jeffers out at third, but what turned into two errors on the play plated McGinnis from first and allowed Reimer to get to third base. A two-out single from Chris Tschida drove Reimer in to make it 2-0.

In the top of the second inning a solo home run from Fort Wayne opened the flood gates as the 'Dons scored eight runs over six innings, while holding the Leathernecks scoreless. The score after seven and half innings had IPFW leading 8-2.

In the bottom half of the eighth, Moore gave WIU hope with a two-out solo home run to right-center field, cutting Fort Wayne's lead to five.

The Purple and Gold staged a final rally in the bottom of the ninth. Brent Turner started the inning with a leadoff walk. An error by Fort Wayne and a fielders choice for Dave Dobrinich moved Turner to third. McGinnis would single to right field, scoring Turner. However, Fort Wayne got the final out to secure the weekend series.

In the start, a recent hot-streak for Church came to an end. The sophomore allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks over 4.2 innings of work with seven strikeouts. Nick Milligan came on in relief for Church and allowed a hit and an unearned run while striking out a career-high five batters over 1.2 innings. J.T. Baksha and Tyler Owings combined to hold the Mastodons scoreless over the final 2.2 innings.

At the plate, Moore's home run along with a second hit highlighted Western's day. Two hits, a run, and an RBI from McGinnis capped off a six-hit weekend for the sophomore. Turner, a day after turning 22, went 2-3 at the plate and scored a run as well.  Colton Pogue, Erik Maki, Tschida, and Jeffers all added hits as the Leathernecks combined for 10 hits and one walk in the loss.

The turnaround for Western is quick as the Purple and Gold head to Wichita, Kan. for a midweek two-game series against Wichita State. The Leathernecks and Shockers are set to play Tuesday (March 17) at 3 p.m. and Wednesday (March 18) at 3 p.m. Live audio and stats will be available through GoLeathernecks.com/watch.
   
 
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