Wabash opened a three-game weekend series against Illinois Wesleyan University with a doubleheader split in Bloomington, Illinois, Saturday afternoon. The Little Giants rallied in game one but came up a run short in a 6-5 loss to the Titans. Wabash cruised to an 8-2 win in game two.

The two teams complete the series with a single nine-inning game at Wabash beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

GAME 1 | Illinois Wesleyan 6, Wabash 5
Sophomore Dylan Haslett was mowing people down on Saturday, fanning eight Illinois Wesleyan hitters over 4.2 innings of work, but it was not enough as Wabash (7-7) fell to the Titans 6-5.

Haslett limited Illinois Wesleyan (10-5) to one run on two hits while walking none for Wabash.

At the plate, the Little Giants were led by freshman Will Fremion, who went 2-for-5 on the day with two RBI. Senior Kamden Earley also put together a standout day at the dish, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Sophomore William McKinzie collected one hit in three trips to the plate while adding two walks and an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Little Giants were trailing 5-0 in the sixth inning when they first put runs on the board. Wabash plated two runs off of Illinois Wesleyan pitching, one of which was driven in on a run-scoring double off the bat of Earley.

The Titans expanded their lead to 6-2 before the Little Giants offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the seventh. Wabash brought home a pair, with one run driven in by Fremion's single, which brought the score to 6-4 in favor of the Titans.

Wabash held the Titans off the board before narrowing the gap to 6-5 in the ninth. The Little Giants scored once on an RBI single by Fremion. The ballgame ended with that ninth-inning rally falling short.

GAME NOTES
» Haslett fanned eight Titans hitters.
» Wabash's highest-scoring inning was the seventh when it pushed two runs across.
» Wabash left 12 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Wabash went 5-for-13 (.385) with runners in scoring position.
» Wabash pitchers faced 37 Illinois Wesleyan hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out 10.
» The Little Giants drew five walks from Illinois Wesleyan pitching.
» Fremion led the Little Giants at the plate, going 2-for-5 with two RBI.

GAME 2 | Wabash 8, Illinois Wesleyan 2
Wabash took a 1-0 lead in the second inning and never surrendered the advantage on the way to an 8-2 victory over the Titans on Saturday.

Junior Robbie Manuzzi (2-0) started on the mound and picked up the win for Wabash. The southpaw went 5.2 innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on six hits, allowing three walks and striking out three. Junior Gavin Pierson threw 3.1 scoreless innings while allowing three hits, with one walk and one strikeout to earn his first save of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Little Giants got on the scoreboard first, starting in the second inning. Wabash got an RBI single from sophomore William McKinzie, scoring senior Kamden Earley from third base.

The Titans failed to push any runs across before the Little Giants built on their lead in the fourth inning. The Wabash offense exploded for six runs, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of senior AJ Reid, which brought the Little Giants lead to 7-0.

Wabash held Illinois Wesleyan scoreless before building their lead to 8-0 in the sixth inning. The Little Giants scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Earley. Illinois Wesleyan put two runs on the scoreboard before the game ended, but Wabash still coasted to the 8-2 win.

GAME NOTES
» Wabash's highest-scoring inning was the fourth when it scored six runs.
» The Little Giants had control of the rest of the game after jumping ahead of the Titans 1-0 in the top of the second.
» The Little Giants out-hit the Titans at a 10-9 clip.
» Wabash went 6-for-16 (.375) with runners in scoring position.
» Wabash pitchers limited Illinois Wesleyan to just 2-for-10 (.200) with runners in scoring position.
» Wabash pitchers faced 38 Illinois Wesleyan hitters in the game, allowing 12 ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out four.
» The Little Giants drew five walks from Illinois Wesleyan pitching.
» McKinzie led the Little Giants at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

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