Madison College Wolfpack

CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL. - Pitchers Tavian Shramek and Chase Baker combined for a one-hit shutout Saturday as the Madison College baseball team dominated McHenry County College (23-27) by a 12-0 final in eight innings. The win comes four days after the #6 WolfPack rallied from down two runs to beat the Scots 3-2 in 12 innings to open the home-and-home series. The regular season sweep extends the Madison lead in the all-time series to 38-16-1 with four straight victories.

Despite the final result, the pitching did not start great for the Pack as Shramek, a freshman righthander, walked the first batter he saw. He retired the next nine batters before giving up a leadoff single on a ground ball that took a funny hop over shortstop Beau Bloxdorf and into centerfield. Two more walks in the fourth inning loaded the bases before the Blair, Wisconsin, native, recorded a fly out and pop out to strand the runners. Shramek went 1-2-3 in the fifth and sixth innings before Baker took over in the seventh and retired all six batters he face. 

The offense, meanwhile, got things going in the top of the third with five runs on three hits, four walks, and a wild pitch. JJ Wolbert drew a bases loaded walk to force in Jonah Roloff for the game's first run, which was followed by run-scoring singles from Nate Novinska and Quinn Falish. A double play allowed Wolbert to score before Novinska advanced home on a wild pitch.

The scoring resumed in the top of the seventh inning for the WolfPack. Falish notched his second and third runs batted in of the day with a single to center field that scored Matt Gruber and Wolbert. Then Casey Wambach stepped up to bat and smashed a ball to right field for a two-run home run to put Madison College up 9-0. The long ball was the third for Wambach, a native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Three more runs in the the top of the eighth put the Pack in position for the run-ruled victory. Roloff got the inning started with a triple to center, and was immediately sent home on a double to left by Gruber. Braylen White then put a ball in play that resulted in an error and a run with Gruber scoring. Freshman Chase Maika singled three batters later to make it 12-0 as White crossed home.

Four players enjoyed multiple hits in the game. Falish was 2 for 4 with a team-high three runs batted in, as well as a run scored. Gruber, a Franksville, Wisconsin, native, finished 2 for 2 with a two walks that led to a team-best three runs scored, to go along with one RBI.

Wambach posted two hits, two walks, two runs driven in, and a run scored, while Roloff had two hits and scored twice for Madison College (37-10)

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