Western Illinois Sweeps Crucial Doubleheader

Friday, May 6

Fort Wayne, Ind.

12:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

Western Illinois

Will Faulkner was 7-10 with four RBI vs. WIU

5/6/2011 9:03:50 PM | Baseball

Game 1 | Game 2 | Photo Gallery

Fort Wayne, IN - With the battle for the top four spots in The Summit League coming down to a final precious few games, Western Illinois dealt IPFW's postseason hopes a blow on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of the Mastodons at Mastodon Field.

The Leathernecks took Game 1, 10-4 and came from behind to win the nightcap, 8-5.

Western Illinos (17-29, 9-9 SL) scored three runs in the 2nd inning of Game 1 and got solo home runs from third baseman Chris Giglio and designated hitter Dan Dispensa.

WIU starter Dan Russell went 8.1 innings for his sixth win of the season (6-4). He gave up four runs on eight hits, striking out nine while walking two.

IPFW shortstop Will Faulkner was 4-5 with two RBI in the opener.

IPFW starter Nick Opitz took the loss (3-7). Optiz went the distance, giving up all 10 Leatherneck runs (eight earned) on 13 hits. He struck out four and walked one.

In Game 2, IPFW took a 4-3 lead in the 2nd inning on RBI singles by Cory Miller, Faulkner and Brett Clark.

But as the 'Dons offense began to heat up, it was cooled off by a 38 minute rain delay. Once the skies had cleared, WIU starter Alex Zarate began to find his groove. He kept the Mastodons off the scoreboard until the 6th inning. In between that time, the Leathernecks scored four runs in the 5th inning to take a 7-4 lead.

The Leathernecks took advantage of four IPFW errors in the ballgame to complete the sweep, 8-5.

Faulkner was 3-5 with two RBI in Game 2 for a 7-10, four RBI afternoon.

Zarate got the win (3-4) going 5.2 innings. Philip Tolman came on to pitch 3.1 innings for his second save of the season.

IPFW starter Lucas Kesterson was tagged with the loss (0-6). He gave up seven runs (six earned) in 4.2 innings of work.

With the losses, IPFW falls to 12-28 and 7-11 in league play.

Western Illinois solidified its hold on fourth place, while the 'Dons fell out of a fourth place tie with WIU.

The Mastodons and Leathernecks will complete their four-game series on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader at Mastodon Field. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. IPFW will be honoring it's senior class before the twinbill at 1:00 p.m.

Check with www.gomastodons.com for any time changes due to inclement weather.

~Dons~