MOLINE, ILL. - The final stretch of the 2021 baseball schedule presents several key matchups against teams Madison College is in direct competition with for the top seeds in the upcoming Region 4 Tournament. On Sunday, the #17 WolfPack earned a pair of important wins over #18 Black Hawk College by scores of 5-3 and 8-4. The wins put the 'Pack ahead in the all-time series by a 20-13 margin.

Game #1: #17 Madison College 5, #18 Black Hawk College 3 (7 innings)

A back-and-forth tussle in the opener saw Madison College score first with a run on two errors in the opening half inning. The Braves tied it up in the second, and then took a 2-1 lead in the third. The next half inning opened with a Logan Mantz double to right, and he scored two batters later on a fielder's choice ground out by Jake Fulton.

Still tied at 2-2 into the seventh inning, and Madison College came through with three runs on two hits, a walk, and two errors. An error on a Mantz ground ball with the bases loaded allowed Kameron Laskowski to score and put the 'Pack up one. Then a clutch two-out single from Fulton was enough for Zach Storbakken and Gunnar Doyle to reach home and give Madison College some breathing room. It paid off, as BHC tallied one run in the bottom of the seventh, but left the bases loaded when Jett Thielke struck out the next batter to clinch the win.

Madison College was outhit by a 9-5 tally, and had five different players register a hit. Fulton, a native of Crystal Lake, Illinois, used his lone hit to generate three runs batted in, giving him 18 RBI in his last eight games played. Mantz finished with a hit, a run, and a run driven in.

Starter Jacob Wilde did not factor in the decision after working 4.1 innings and allowing two earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He posted two strikeouts. Sophomore Patrick Foldy (3-2) entered in relief to earn the win after limiting the Braves to one run and two hits. The Colgate, Wisconsin, native walked three batters before giving way to Thielke, who closed out the win with a pair of strikeouts to earn a team-leading sixth save of the season for the former Bay Port HS athlete.

Game #2: #17 Madison College 8, #18 Black Hawk College 4 (7 innings)

The WolfPack manufactured another first inning run to start game two with a lead. Brady Jurgella led off with a single, moved to second on a Nathan Ebersole sacrfice, and stole third to get in scoring position for a Gunnar Doyle sac fly to left. The lead grew to 2-0 in the second thanks to a two-out rally that included a Jake Nelson double, followed by a Eli Kramer single to bring him home. After Black Hawk College (32-10) tallied their first run, Madison College answered with two more in the third to go ahead 4-1. Gunnar Doyle's double was the third hit to start the inning after Ebersole and Zach Storbakken each singled. After Doyle's run-producing hit, Logan Mantz drove in Storbakken with a sacrifice fly to right.

A lead-off home run sparked a two-run fourth for the home team, and cut the WolfPack lead to a single run, however, the day's second three-run from for the WolfPack gave momentum back to the guests. Mantz, Spencer Bartel, and Eduardo Saucedo each picked up a RBI. Doyle picked up another run batted in with a double to center that scored Maguire Fitzgerald as both teams added a single run in the sixth.

The WolfPack pounded out a dozen hits, with four players posted two base knocks. Doyle's two doubles led to three RBI and a run scored, while Ebersole used his two hits to score two runs, tying Storbakken for team-high honors in that category. Mantz, a former Slinger HS athlete, went 0 for 2 at the plate, but finished with a pair of runs batted in. 

Riley LeTourneau started the game, making his first appearance since April 12 after suffering an injury. He tossed one inning, allowed one hit, issued two walks, and struck out one in a scoreless frame. Jack McNeil (4-0) entered for the next five innings and was tagged for four earned runs on six hits and a walk. The righty from Madison, Wisconsin, struck out six batters before Adrian Montilva followed with a relief appearance, marking his first game action in exactly one month as he also dealt with an injury. The former Madison East HS athlete recorded one strikeout, one walk, and one hit allowed.

Up Next:

Madison College (32-11), now ranked #18 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, will take a four-game win streak on the road Tuesday for another tough Region 4 test against #11 McHenry County College (37-8). The WolfPack is 26-11-1 all-time against the Scots and have won five in a row. First pitch in Crystal Lake, Illinois, is at 2:00 p.m., with game two to begin at approximately 5:00 p.m.

Follow WolfPack baseball: Facebook | Twitter | GameChanger