TUCSON, Ariz. – In its final non-conference matchup in Arizona, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team suffered a 12-9 defeat against NCAA Division III opponent Wheaton College on Friday afternoon from the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz. Dakota Wesleyan registered 13 hits in the single-game outing but was unable to overcome a four-run inning by Wheaton in the top half of the ninth inning.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Following three scoreless frames to begin the afternoon, WC plated a pair of runs in the top of the fourth stanza to take the early 2-0 lead. At the plate, the Thunder (3-6) dialed eight base-on balls along with 11 hits, though Dakota Wesleyan bounced back in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Daulton Wilcoxen prolonged his strong offensive start to the season with a homerun over the right field fence to pull DWU to within one run, 2-1. Kyler Halverson and Cameron Quigley continued the Tiger (5-4) momentum with a double and single, respectively, and the Blue and Gray controlled the 4-2 benefit at the end of the fourth frame. Quigley and Halverson paced Dakota Wesleyan with three hits each while the Tigers notched six extra-base knocks in the 9-inning affair.
Wheaton reclaimed the advantage, 7-4, in the fifth stanza thanks to five hits in the frame which brought Caleb Crist to the mound in relief. Senior lefthander Matt Bezdicek struck out a pair of Thunder batters and induced eight groundouts in the start.
Dean, who tallied two hits and multiple runs scored in the contest, struck a single in the bottom of the fifth stanza and an ensuing double in the seventh inning. Both hits produced two more Tiger RBIs, and Dakota Wesleyan cut into the deficit once again to narrow the score at 8-6. Halverson kept the energy rolling with a timely single to center field as DWU matched the score at 8-8 with two innings to play.
Four runs in the top half of the ninth, however, fueled the Wheaton victory, 12-9, in spite of a sacrifice fly from Dakota Wesleyan infielder Carter Gullickson. Halverson guided the Dakota Wesleyan offense with a trio of RBIs while Dean chipped in a pair of RBIs and base-on balls. Crist meanwhile fanned four Thunder batters in 4.2 innings of work.
UP NEXT
Dakota Wesleyan continues the 2021-22 non-conference schedule with a doubleheader versus in-state, NCAA Division II foe Augustana University as first pitch is set for 4 p.m. on Tuesday from Ronken Field in Sioux Falls, S.D.