Box Score

KANKAKEE, Ill. - The WolfPack (43-12) found themselves in a 4-0 hole just two innings into their game against Kankakee Community College. Instead of hitting the panic button, they pitched well and hit the baseball, out of the park. The end result was a 5-4 WolfPack win for the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

Starting pitcher Tyler Jones (9-1) looked to be off to a promising start in the first inning when he struck out the first batter he faced. Things did not go quite as smoothly for the remainder of the first two innings.

In the remainder of the first inning, Jones gave up a double, an RBI single and threw two wild pitches. In the second inning he gave up a three-run home run to Lukas Graves of the Cavaliers.

Over the course of the final seven innings of the game, Jones gave up just three hits to Kankakee Community College - the No. 5 ranked team in the country - and didn't allow them to score anymore runs. He finished the game with 11 strikeouts and struck out five of the final seven batters he faced. Jones did nothing but get better from the second inning on.

He has pitched seven complete games in nine starts this season and has now pitched in back-to-back nine-inning complete games. The previous nine-inning complete game came on May 14 against Black Hawk College.

The complete-game effort gives the WolfPack a well-rested bullpen for the championship game(s) on Sunday, May 23.

The WolfPack were kept off the scoreboard through four innings, despite having scoring opportunities in the second and fourth innings. Runners were left on third base in each of those innings.

In the fifth inning the WolfPack made some noise on the field and in the dugout. It was the loudest some WolfPack parents have heard the dugout all season long. The noise rattled pitcher Tyler Ware of the Cavaliers. Luke Marwitz and Kevin Wild each drove in a run for the inning, cutting the Kankakee Community College lead in half to 4-2.

In the sixth inning Kyle Van Abel doubled to right-center field. He then advanced to third base on a pick-off attempt that ended up in center field. Justin Hunt then stepped up to the plate and hit a fly ball to center field that was caught, but deep enough to score Van Abel. The game was now a one-run game with three innings to go.

With six outs remaining in the game, Justin Scanlon led off the eighth inning with a single. The tying run was now on base and the go-ahead run, Brent Kakwitch, was at the plate.

Kakwitch - the WolfPack leader in home runs coming into the game - added one more to his season total (13) with just one swing of the bat. The home run sailed over the 380 foot marker in left-center field.

The two RBIs gave Kakwitch a grand total of 57 RBIs on the season, but more importantly, a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning in the game against the Cavaliers.

Once the WolfPack got the lead, they gave the ball to Jones and let him finish the game he started. He did so by not allowing a hit in the final two innings.

In the final game of the day in Kankakee, Ill., Elgin Community College (36-19), the No. 4 seed, defeated Kankakee Community College 9-2. The win knocked the Cavaliers, the No. 1 seed, out of the tournament. Earlier in the day, the Elgin Community College knocked Oakton Community College, the No. 2 seed, out of tournament.

In a way, the two teams helped each other out in getting to the championship of the region tournament. The WolfPack sent Oakton Community College and Kankakee Community College to the loser's bracket and the Spartans finished the two teams off, giving each team their second loss of the tournament and sending them home.

The two lower seeds of the tournament will play on Sunday, May 23 at noon in Kankakee, Ill. for the Region IV Championship and the right to move on to the Division II National Tournament in Enid, Okla. The Spartans will be looking to knock their third team out of the tournament when they play the WolfPack.

If Madison College beats Elgin Community College in the first game on Sunday, then they will be the region champions. If Elgin Community College wins the first game, then a second game will be played to see who will move on and represent Region IV in the national tournament.

The WolfPack split the season series with the Spartans 1-1. The Spartans won the first game 8-7 and the WolfPack took the second game 5-4 in eight innings. Both games were played in Elgin, Ill.

The WolfPack take a five-game winning streak into their matchup with the Elgin Community College Spartans.