The Illinois Tech Baseball team split the final home doubleheader against the Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers on May 6, dropping game one 5-3 and emerging victorious in game two 1-0. DJ Rybski and James Tarala were honored for Senior Day at Ed Glancy Field.

Runs-Hits-Errors (Game One)

• Wisconsin-Platteville: vie runs, 11 hits, two errors
• Illinois Tech: three runs, seven hits, zero errors

How it Happened (Game One)

• After two scoreless innings, Illinois Tech starter John Zalewski found himself in trouble in the top of the third. After walking the leadoff man (first baseman Collin Mormann) Zalewski gave up back-to-back singles to designated hitter Ross Krist and right fielder Josh Moses to move Mormann up to third base. Center fielder Jonathan Kelso then followed with an RBI double to right center. Zalewski was able to work out of the rest of the frame, leaving the Pioneers with just a 1-0 lead.
• Second baseman Rybski led off for the Scarlet Hawks with a double in the bottom of the third and advanced to third on a passed ball. Catcher David Navarro promptly lifted a fly ball to left field for a sacrifice fly—allowing Rybski to score and tie the game 1-1.
• Zalewski settled in and kept Wisconsin-Platteville quiet until the top of the sixth inning. Third baseman Brendon Reifsteck singled to start and advanced to second base then third on two wild pitches.  Two batters later shortstop Mitchell Susa doubled in Reifsteck to reclaim the lead for the Pioneers. UW-Platteville added an insurance run when Mormann drove in Susa with an RBI single.
• The Scarlet Hawks rallied in the following inning to tie the game. Center fielder Peter Upham and third baseman Nick Bledsoe began the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back hits, giving Illinois Tech runners at second and third. Rybski cut into the deficit with an RBI sacrifice bunt to score Upham. Bledsoe scored a couple batters later on a hit by left fielder Nick Worden, tying the game at three runs apiece.
• Relief pitcher Roberto Carselle came in for Zalewski and pitched well for the seventh and eight innings. But in the top of the ninth, Carselle hit Mormann with a pitch. With Paul Maguire coming in to pinch run for him, the Pioneer’s Krist and Moses followed with subsequent hits, driving in the go-ahead run 4-3. Catcher Connor Crotty provided an insurance run for Wisconsin-Platteville with a sacrifice fly, making the score 5-3. Illinois Tech could not rally against reliever Darren Strasburg in the bottom of the ninth and dropped game one.

Runs-Hits-Errors (Game Two)

• Wisconsin-Platteville: zero runs, four hits, two errors
• Illinois Tech: one run, five hits, one error

How it Happened (Game Two)

• Both starting pitchers dominated throughout game two. Illinois Tech starting pitcher Ian Duke struggled with his command early, throwing many pitches within the first five innings. But Duke was able to settle in and get quick innings in the sixth and seventh to give the well-used Illinois Tech bullpen a break.
• Wisconsin-Platteville starter Caleb Kaufmann pitched the whole game for the Pioneers (eight innings.)  He only yielded five hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
• Illinois Tech scored the game’s lone run off Kaufmann in the bottom of the fifth. Scarlet Hawks’ right fielder Zachary Dickey doubled to right center and advanced to third on a wild pitch to lead off for Illinois Tech. The Hawks used small ball to bring Dickey in, as shortstop Orlando Cardenas-Juan lifted a ball to center field for a sacrifice fly.
• Relief pitcher Jacob Geiger came in for Duke for the eighth and ninth innings and shut the Pioneers down. Geiger did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out two batters in six outs to earn the two-inning save for the Scarlet Hawks, closing out the 1-0 victory.

Scarlet Hawks Standouts

• Rybski went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Dickey finished with two hits in five at-bats, walked twice and scored a run.
• Duke threw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Stats to Know

• Wisconsin-Platteville left 17 men on base while Illinois Tech only stranded eight.
• Illinois Tech combined for 22 total strikeouts; the Pioneers combined for 14.

Up Next

• Illinois Tech will conclude the regular season against Wisconsin-Oshkosh in two doubleheaders on Friday, May 11 (noon) and Saturday, May 12 (1 p.m.). The games will be played in Carol Stream, Illinois, at Lee Pfund Stadium.