Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College baseball team secured a decisive victory against Northland College, winning 15-3 in seven innings at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida. This marks their fourth game in Florida, improving their overall record to 6-2 and 2-2 during their time in the state.

Illinois College opened with a strong six-run first inning. Ryne Mapes initiated the scoring with a single and subsequent stolen base, followed by Louie Bartletti's two-run RBI that brought home Mapes and Adam Passmore. Tyler Barker extended the lead to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.

The momentum continued as Hennemann reached base on an error and scored on Jon Tate's RBI single. Jackson Fricke drew a walk with bases loaded, adding another run before a balk by Northland’s pitcher allowed Tate to score, bringing the tally to 6-0.

Aiden Lougeay started on the mound for Illinois College, striking out all three batters he faced initially. Despite Northland narrowing the gap to 6-2 in the second inning through Caden Willis's double, Illinois College responded with additional runs throughout the game.

In the third inning, Bartletti's bases-loaded walk added another run for Illinois College. The fourth inning saw five more runs added to their lead, aided by errors from Northland’s defense and strategic plays from Illinois College players like Mapes and Passmore.

Jonathan Odom replaced Barker in left field during the fourth inning while Lougeay maintained control without conceding further runs. Jake Holder took over pitching duties in the fifth inning, delivering a scoreless performance with two strikeouts.

Hennemann hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning after Decker led off with a double, marking Illinois College’s final scores of 15 runs on 12 hits. Connor Akstulewicz closed out pitching duties for Illinois College despite Northland scoring one last run via Hunter Wicklund’s RBI double.

Passmore led his team with three RBIs while Decker, Hennemann, and Mapes each recorded three hits. Lougeay pitched four innings earning six strikeouts for his victory as Holder and Akstulewicz combined efforts resulted in four more strikeouts over three innings.

Illinois College will have an off day before returning to play against Penn State Abington on Thursday at Davenport, Florida.