LA CROSSE, WIS. – Iowa Wesleyan College scored three times in the seventh inning to avert a sweep by Viterbo (Wis.) University and get back into first place in the Midwest Collegiate Conference with an 11-10 win over the V-Hawks on Sunday.
Josh Sturges (Jr.-Murray, Utah) drove in six runs and the Tigers emerged from a wild nine-inning game to win on Sunday after being swept by Viterbo on Saturday. IWC improved to 10-4 in the MCC (19-18 overall) and regained the top spot in the conference by one-half game over Viterbo and William Penn University, both at 9-4 now.
Wesleyan scored in five of the first seven innings, but needed every run as the V-Hawks (19-13-1 overall) did even better with runs in five of their first six innings. Both teams managed 14 hits apiece but the Tigers stranded 14 runners, nearly paying for stranding runners on base in almost every inning.
IWC got good hitting production through most of its lineup, though, with Dick Bargewell (Sr.-Burlington, Wash.) collecting three hits and five others with two hits each. Sturges had a pair of hits, including a two-run homer to lead off the scoring in the top of the first as well as a big hit in the decisive seventh inning.
Trailing 10-8 going into the seventh, the Tigers put two runners on with no outs when Sturges hit an RBI double to score both Adam DuBuque (Jr.-St. Louis, Mo.) and Jared Zueck (Sr.-Williamsville, Ill.). Later in the inning with two outs, Lino Sampson (So.-Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela) delivered what would turn out to be the winning hit, singling in Sturges to make it 11-10.
Michael Reed (So.-Lovington, Ill.) was the winning pitcher for IWC with a fine performance in relief in a game where most pitchers struggled. Reed threw three scoreless innings and allowed two hits and picked up his first win of the season. Edgar Hernandez (Sr.-Jalisco, Mexico) came on and pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his fifth save.
Viterbo’s Brett Moravec was the losing pitcher, allowing five hits and one earned run after coming on in relief in the seventh. The V-Hawks had earlier taken a 9-5 lead with six runs in the fifth inning, including home runs hit by four batters in succession.
The Tigers return to the field Tuesday against St. Ambrose University for a single nine-inning game at 4 p.m. A live audio broadcast of the game will be available at www.iwc.edu/onlinemedia.
For more information regarding the IWC baseball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score IWC 11 Viterbo 10
