Leathernecks Take Two from Mastodons

Saturday, April 27

Fort Wayne, Ind.

12:00 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

17-20, 5-9

Western Illinois

12-25, 3-7

Western Illinois

IPFW

Photo by: Lucas Carter

4/27/2013 6:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW baseball team dropped to 17-21 overall after taking two losses to Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon. The Mastodons lost 5-3 in game one and 8-4 in game two.

The last inning haunted IPFW on Saturday as Western Illinois pushed two runs across the plate in the top of the seventh inning in game one and then exploded with five runs in the top of the ninth inning in game two.

The Mastodons found themselves in a 3-0 hole in game one before scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Western Illinois responded by also scoring two runs in the top of the seventh which led to the 5-3 win.

Tyler Shepherd, Evan VanSumeren, Kristian Gayday, and Kevin Wirth all recorded hits in game one, although the 'Dons would be limited to just those four. Shepherd scored a run and recorded an RBI. He and Wirth each collected their fifth double of the year in the game.

John White grabbed the win on the mound for Western Illinois in the opener. White struck out six in six innings of work while giving up two earned runs off three hits. Brian Loconsole came in to finish the job as he marked up his sixth save of the season for WIU.

Shepherd's double in the sixth inning allowed Markus Kalber to score the first run of the game for IPFW in game one. Shepherd advanced to third on a fly out and scored moments later off a wild pitch. The IPFW comeback fell short in the bottom of the ninth as Kalber hit a sacrifice fly to score Kendall Whitman, but Loconsole ended the game with a strikeout allowing Western Illinois to earn the win.

IPFW entered the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead in game two, but the Mastodons were unable to hang on as the Leathernecks generated five runs off five hits to get the sweep. Dan Dispensa doubled to centerfield to lead off the inning and a sacrifice bunt moved him 90 feet from home plate. Steve Kedroski singled to left field and Dispensa would tie the game at 4-4.

Connor McLaughlin exited the game for IPFW after the single and Travis Reboulet came on to face Eric Maki. Reboulet hit Maki to put another runner on base and two RBI singles quickly followed. Reboulet gave up the first single and Nate White entered the game and was hit with the second.

White walked Tanner Glore and then Zack Burling blew the game wide open with a two-RBI double down the left field line. It seemed as if White had struck out Burling the pitch before, but the umpire called IPFW back to the field after he confirmed that the batter made contact with the ball therefore extending the at-bat with a foul ball call. IPFW tried to use pinch hitters to jumpstart a run in the bottom of the ninth, but they were denied as Sam Walvaert struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.

Malcolm White was 2-for-4 as the leadoff man for IPFW and Clay Hathaway smashed his fourth home run of the season over the wall in left field to lead off the sixth inning.

IPFW will look to grab a win in game four of the four game series on Sunday as they face the Leathernecks at noon.

~ Feel the Rumble ~