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Western Illinois University Athletics

MBA_IPFW1_FP
WIU Visual Productions Center
2
Western Illinois WIU 10-22, 5-11 Summit
5
Winner Fort Wayne IPFW 18-16, 7-9 Summit
Western Illinois WIU
10-22, 5-11 Summit
2
Final
5
Fort Wayne IPFW
18-16, 7-9 Summit
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 7 1
Fort Wayne IPFW 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 X 5 7 2

W: Trevor Storie (4-4) L: Mortillaro, Joe (2-4) S: Jake Weber (7)

2
Western Illinois WIU 10-23, 5-12 Summit
3
Winner Fort Wayne IPFW 19-16, 8-9 Summit
Western Illinois WIU
10-23, 5-12 Summit
2
Final
3
Fort Wayne IPFW
19-16, 8-9 Summit
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 9 1
Fort Wayne IPFW 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 X 3 3 0

W: Jake Weber (3-1) L: Owings, Tyler (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leatherneck Pitchers Strike Out 24 in Doubleheader Loss at Fort Wayne

Joe Mortillaro led the way with nine strikeouts in game one.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The pitching staff for Western Illinois baseball combined for 24 strikeouts as the Leathernecks dropped two games to Fort Wayne, 5-2 and 3-2, on Friday (April 17) at Mastodon Field.

Jake Moore batted over .400 with three hits and a run scored while Brent Turner tallied three hits with a run, RBI, and stolen base as well. Game one starter Joe Mortillaro matched his career high with nine strikeouts. Game two starter, Tom Constand, struck out a season-high eight.

The losses drop Western to 10-23 overall and 5-12 in The Summit League. Fort Wayne Improves to 19-16 on the season and 8-9 in the league.

Mortillaro was tested early in game one with two runners on base and nobody out. The Middle Village, New York native was able to work a pop fly and two ground-ball outs to end the inning, limiting IPFW to just one run. Neither team scored in the second inning as Mortillaro struck out all three Mastodon batters he faced.

In the top of the third inning a bunt single from Turner and a throwing error on Fort Wayne gave Western a runner on third with nobody out. A ground ball from Colton Pogue brought in Turner to even the score. IPFW responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half to make it 4-1 before Mortillaro fanned three consecutive 'Dons to end the third.

The Mastodons added an insurance run in the fifth, on a solo home run, before Western would mount a rally in the seventh.

Mark Garton led off the inning with a one-out single, and Dave Dobrinich followed up with a double to left-center field. A Turner sacrifice fly would score Garton, cutting the deficit to three. However, IPFW's Jake Weber came on in the eighth to earn his school-record seventh save of the season.

Mortillaro (2-4) got the loss while Preston Church contributed three innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit and striking out five.

Moore went 2-for-4 while Garton and Turner accounted for all of WIU's runs.

Game two was a battle of the hurlers as the game went scoreless through five and a half innings.

In the bottom of the sixth the 'Dons scored two on an RBI-walk and a sacrifice fly. Constand would finish the inning with his eighth strikeout of the game. 

Western loaded the bases in the top of seven and scored one on an RBI-walk from Roman Visintine. The Leathernecks tied the game in the next inning on a one-out single from Garton. However, in the bottom half, an errant throw back to mound brought in the eventual game-winning run for Fort Wayne.

Tyler Owings was saddled with his first loss of the season. He allowed one run (none earned) and no hits with two strikeouts in two innings of work. Constand did not factor in the decision as he allowed just two runs on three hits and four walks, but hit four batters.

Chris Tschida went 2-for-2 in the second game as Western edged Fort Wayne in hits over the two games, 16-10. Only two extra-base hits were allowed on the day. 

The Leathernecks and Mastodons will play the series finale on Saturday (April 18) at 3 p.m.
 


 
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