(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's baseball team dropped both games of their Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) doubleheader against Morton College on Tuesday afternoon to fall back to the .500 mark on the season. The Panthers (19-9, 3-1) won the first game 7-3 and then sparked by a big fourth inning, they completed the sweep with a 10-4 win over the Chiefs (11-11, 1-3) in game two.
In the opener, with one swing, the Panthers got on the scoreboard first in a big way. In the top of the second Morton loaded the bases on a single up the middle, a hit-batsman, and a bunt single. Noah Chase then quickly emptied the bases by scorching a line drive grand slam homer to left field to make it 4-0. The Chiefs threatened in their half of the inning getting runners on first and second with only one out. However, Eric Gonzalez bounced a two-hopper over the third base bag that Chase snagged, stepped on the base and threw across the diamond to get Gonzalez by half a step for an inning-ending double play.
The Panthers loaded the bases again with no outs in the top of the fourth inning on a single, walk and an error. The visitors were able to push across three more runs highlighted by a two-out, run scoring single by Carter Hall and another Chiefs' error to extend their lead to 7-0. Meanwhile, Morton's John McGlynn kept the Chiefs' offense in check through five innings allowing just five base runners. Waubonsee finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth when Trey Hernandez singled to center and Austin Stone reached base on an error. Two batters later they both scored on a single to left field by Bailey Hale to cut the deficit to 7-2. However, the Chiefs ended up stranding two more runners when Chase ranged to his left to grab a potential run-scoring single and threw Waubonsee's Chase Gabel out at first to end the inning. A two-out double down the left field line by Stone in the bottom of the seventh closed out the scoring as the Chiefs fell 7-3.
Hale and Landon Young both finished 2 for 3 to lead Waubonsee which out hit the Panthers 8-6 for the game. Jordan Logan took the loss on the mound allowing five earned runs over four innings of work. McGlynn went the distance for Morton striking out seven and walking just one batter.
Waubonsee jumped in front in the first inning of game two as Ryan Buck smacked a two-out single to right field to score Joel Johnson who led off the inning with his 100th collegiate career hit. James Swarbrick led off the top of the second for Morton by slashing a double down the right field line. But Waubonsee starter Joel Lively recorded a pair of strikeouts to end the frame and keep the Panthers off the scoreboard. Unfortunately, a miscue by the Chiefs defensively led directly to an unearned Morton run the next inning with Chase scoring on a single to center field by Ayham Salah to tie the game. Four batters later Salah scored on a two-out softly hit single to left to put the Panthers in front 2-1.
The Chiefs loaded the bases in the bottom of the third before Morton starter Joseph Evans induced a lazy fly ball for the third out to maintain the one run lead. The momentum swing seemed to energize the Panthers as they quickly scored three runs on two singles, two doubles and a Chiefs' error. Angelo Luna then capped off the big inning by ripping a line shot three-run homer just inside the left field foul pole to suddenly make it 8-1 in Morton's favor. The Panthers then loaded the bases and scored another run on a Waubonsee error before reliever Gabriel Kenah escaped the jam with a strikeout and fly out.
Waubonsee got three of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth when Johnson smacked a two-out double to the right center field fence to score Aiden Sheehan to make it 9-2. Hernandez followed with a bloop single to right field to score Johnson, and then Stone tripled to right center field to knock him in. However, reliever Brandon Bonin came on and shut down the Chiefs as Morton tacked on another run when Joseph Russo drilled a run-scoring double to the left field corner in the top of the sixth.
Johnson went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored to pace Waubonsee, while Hernandez and Buck each finished with two hits each. Lively took the loss on the mound for the Chiefs allowing five earned runs over three innings. Waubonsee is scheduled to host Sauk Valley Community College this coming Thursday, April 11 in a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m.