MACOMB, Ill. - IPFW
left fielder Carter DeBoe hit two long home runs and the Mastodons (15-33,
7-13) won the series finale, 8-5, with Western Illinois (15-30-1, 5-15) Sunday (May 6) at Alfred D. Boyer
Stadium.
Leatherneck starter Nick Smith (3-6) allowed five runs (four
earned) and five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four Mastodons and
walked three.
Dan Dispensa went 4-for-4, scored and drove in a run. Tom Lilja (2-for-4) hit his third home run of the season in the sixth inning and
scored two runs. Austin Cowen (2-for-3), Nick Milligan (1-for-5) and Rich Mascheri (1-for-3) also collected RBIs for the Fighting Leathernecks.
Western Illinois wasted no time jumping ahead of IPFW.
Dispensa singled through the left side and advanced to second on a wild pitch
in the first inning. He scored on Cowen's one-out double down the left field
line and Cowen trotted home on Milligan's single through the right side.
Mike Mugg homered with two outs in the second inning to put
IPFW on the scoreboard. The Mastodons again used the long ball to go ahead in
the third inning. Clay Hathaway singled up the middle with one out and scored
on DeBoe's two-out homer.
Matt Igara drew a walk to lead off the third inning and eventually
scored to tie the contest. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and Cowhey's
infield single. Mascheri drove home Igara on a single to left field while Cowhey
was thrown out at second base.
Western Illinois took the lead again in the fourth inning.
Lilja doubled to left center to leadoff and advanced to third one out later. He
trotted home on Dispensa's single up the middle to put the Fighting
Leathernecks up 4-3.
IPFW was aided by two Western Illinois errors and took a 6-4
lead in the fifth inning. A one-out walk scored on a throwing error and a passed
ball. Malcolm White walked with two outs and DeBoe singled him to third base.
White scored on a fielding error and DeBoe ran home when Kristian Gayday was
picked off first base.
Lilja hit the fifth pitch of the bottom of the sixth inning
deep over the left field fence to trim the IPFW lead to one run. DeBoe put IPFW
ahead by three runs with a long two-run home run, his second of the afternoon,
in the top of the seventh inning.
IPFW starter Travis Reboulet allowed four runs and nine hits
over four innings. He walked four Leathernecks and struck out one. Steve
Danielak (5-2) was awarded with the victory after allowing one run over five
innings out of the bullpen.
The Leathernecks travel to Normal, Ill. for three games at
Illinois State beginning on Friday, May 11 at 4:30 p.m. at Duffy Bass Field.
#WIUAthletics
