(Sugar Grove, IL) – Winners in five of their last six games, Waubonsee Community College's baseball team needed another win Thursday afternoon against visiting Madison (WI) College to get back to the .500 mark for the season. Unfortunately the Wolfpack denied the Chiefs of that achievement, downing Waubonsee 8-0. Madison, ranked 18th nationally in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, utilized clutch hitting to garner the win on the Chiefs' field.
Madison (34-12) got on the scoreboard in the top of third inning scoring three times with two outs. A bloop single over third base by Gunnar Doyle drove in the first run, and Logan Mantz followed with a two-run single to left. The Wolfpack repeated that scenario in the top of the fourth inning scoring three runs again after two were out. Zach Storbakken ripped a two-run single to center field and the sixth run scored on a passed ball two pitches later. Madison tacked on an unearned run off Chiefs' reliever Michael Lorenz in the sixth, and another run in the seventh off Dwan Westmoreland.
Meanwhile, Madison starting pitcher Reagan Klawiter kept Waubonsee's bats in check throughout the game. The southpaw surrendered only a single to Logan Barnick in the third inning, another to Ryan Teuscher in the seventh, and a third single to Ryan Stempowski in the eighth. Klawiter struck out 10 and hit a pair of batters in tossing eight shutout innings, improving his record to 5-1 and lowering his earned-run-average to 1.66 on the season.
Chiefs' starter Ben Croci took the loss, allowing six runs over four innings, while striking out five and walking one. Sammy Habayeb was one of the few bright spots for Waubonsee, retiring four of the five batters he faced in relief, striking out two and allowing no hits. Waubonsee (19-21) is in action again this Saturday, May 8 when they travel to the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn for a noon doubleheader. The Chiefs finish out the regular season on Sunday, May 9 when they head to Malta to take on Kishwaukee College in a noon twin bill. The Region IV Division III Tournament is set to begin on May 13 with the place, time and Chiefs' opponent yet to be determined.