GALESBURG, ILL. - The Madison College baseball team posted a 28-5 scoring differential over a two-game Region 4 sweep of Carl Sandburg College on Sunday, winning the opener 7-1 before trouncing the Charges in a 21-4 finale in five innings. The WolfPack pounded three home runs on the day, highlighted by the season's first grand slam off the bat of freshman Jalen Gellings. Winners of four straight games, the Pack are now 23-5 all-time against CSC with a dozen wins in the last 13 meetings.

Game #1: #18 Madison College 7, Carl Sandburg College 1

Following a scoreless first two innings that included Madison College leaving the bases loaded in the second, the visitors put the game's first run on the scoreboard in the top of the third. Three walks put a runner in scoring position when the Chargers starting pitcher threw a wild pitch and Charlie Marion came in from third to score. A walk and consecutive singles by Gellings and Nick Nowak loaded the bases in the fourth when a Marion ground ball was misplayed by the pitcher, and Evan Iwinski crossed home for a 2-0 lead.

Carl Sandburg got a run back in the bottom half of the fourth when they opened the inning with a double and a single against starter Michael Carpenter, who fanned two of the next three batters to end the inning. Madison College had another shot to bust the game open in the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs, however, they stranded all three runners.

Sophomore Will Johannes added an insurance run in the sixth inning with a two-out solo home run to left field for a 3-1 edge. The long ball is the third of the season for the Mukwonago, Wisconsin, native, and ties him for the team lead.

An inning later, the WolfPack put the game out of reach with a four-run frame on three hits, a walk, and an error. After freshman Sam Steuber scored on an error by the third baseman, Nick Nowak singled in Grant Ross and Marcelino Alonso, which was followed by a Marion sacrifice fly to plate Gellings for a 7-1 lead.

Carpenter (1-2) finished off his seven-inning complete game with a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to secure his first win of the season. The lefthander struck out seven batters, and now leads the team with 30 K's on the season. The native of Hartland, Wisconsin, allowed one earned run on five hits.

Johannes and Nowak each finished with two hits in the game, as Johannes drove in a run and scored another while Nowak produced two RBI. Gellings also had a hit, a run, scored, and one batted in. Marion was 0 for 3 with a walk, two runs driven in, and a run scored.

Game #2: #18 Madison College 21, Carl Sandburg College 4 (5 innings)

Madison College generated its highest run total of the season thus far in the nightcap, with the 21 runs also standing as the team's most in a game since putting up 22 runs against Morton College on May 6, 2022. After a single Nick Nowak run scored in the first inning on Payton Frehner's ground ball to the left side, Carl Sandburg College (5-10) took the only lead of the day in the bottom half with three runs on two hits, three free passes, and an error by Jalen Gellings at shortstop. Three singles capped by a Nowak line drive to left that plated Gellings in the second pulled the Pack to within 3-2.

The entire game changed in the third as Madison College racked up seven runs in the first of three consecutive big innings en route to the run-ruled victory. A run on a wild pitch tied the score at 3-3 and an error in the same at bat gave the WolfPack the lead for good. Another wild pitch and error in the same at bat three batters later increased the lead to 6-3 before freshman Kobe Vosberg's bases loaded single through the right side drove in Jake Petasek and Frehner. A bases loaded walk to Gellings forced in another run to complete the inning and put the guests up 9-3. 

In the fourth, Petasek dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt to get the six-run inning started, and Johannes made it 11-3 with a sac fly to center. The game became lopsided three batters later when Gellings, with the bases loaded, drove an 0-2 pitch over the left field fence for his first collegiate home run. The grand slam made it 15-3.



Following a CSC home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth, Madison College tallied six more runs on four walks and two hits in the fifth. Johannes ripped a double to center to score Petasek, Frehner and Johannes reached home on separate wild pitches, and freshman Marcelino Alonso capped the big offensive output with a three-run home run to left for his first career homer. 

Gellings, a native of Eden, Wisconsin, drove in career-bests of five runs batted in and three more scored as part of a 2 for 3 day with two walks. Alonso was right behind with a career-highs of four RBI and two runs scored after going 1 for 4 with a walk.

Nowak and Vosberg also established new career-high numbers with four hits each. Nowak used his to score three runs and drive in another, while Vosberg's, combined with one walk, yielded three runs scored and two RBI. Frehner was one of four WolfPack players to score three times, with four others doing so twice, including Johannes as part of a 2 for 5 effort with a run batted in.

Sophomore pitcher Liam Stumpf (2-2) struck out seven batters in his four innings of work to snap a brief two-game losing skid on the hill. He was credited with four runs allowed, three of which were earned, on four hits and three walks. Grant Ross tossed the final inning and retired all three batters he faced.

Up Next:

Madison College (8-6) is schedule to play at the College of DuPage in a Region 4 doubleheader on Tuesday, March 26. The WolfPack are 30-5-1 all-time against the Chaparrals, with wins in nine of the last ten meetings. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m., followed by an expected 4:00 p.m. start in the nightcap. Watch and follow live via the GameChanger app.

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