Worden, Bledsoe Homer in Losses at UWSP

The Illinois Tech Baseball team played the first of two weekend WIAC doubleheaders on April 28 at UW-Stevens Point, the 25th-ranked team in the nation according to the latest d3baseball.com poll. Illinois Tech dropped its first and only two true road contests of the conference schedule 11-2 and 5-2.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game One

  • Illinois Tech: two runs, three hits, one error
  • UWSP: 11 runs, 14 hits, zero errors

How it Happened: Game One 

  • The Pointers jumped out ahead with steady offense, scoring five runs over the first five innings of the game. UWSP used the home run to jolt its scoring, with three of the five runs coming courtesy of dingers.
  • Illinois Tech’s two runs came in the top of the sixth inning, as center fielder Jacob Sorenson doubled down the left field line to bring home both designated hitter Michael Courtney and catcher David Navarro.
  • The hosts homered twice more the rest of the way, which combined for five of the team’s next six runs. Both starter James Tarala and reliever Joseph Hindy were unable to stop the potent hitting of UWSP.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game Two 

  • Illinois Tech: two runs, four hits, one error
  • UWSP: five runs, nine hits, zero errors

How it Happened: Game Two 

  • Illinois Tech starter Ryan Cantlin was able to slow the Pointers offense. He retired the first six batters of the contest before allowing two hits and a sacrifice fly in the third inning to give the Pointers a 1-0 lead.
  • Second baseman Nick Bledsoe tied the score in the fifth inning, hitting his first collegiate home run.
  • However, the Pointers answered right back with four hits in the bottom of the fifth. The hosts notched three runs to take a 4-1 lead.
  • After another UWSP home run in the bottom of the seventh, left fielder Nick Worden answered in the top of the eighth. He too hit his first collegiate home run to round out the game’s scoring.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

  • Sorenson was 1-for-3 with the two RBI double in game one with a walk.
  • Bledsoe and Worden were both 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI in game two.
  • Cantlin went all eight innings in game two, taking the loss while allowing nine hits, one walk, and striking out four.