Walk-off highlights Iowa Wesleyan’s 1-2 trip at SLIAC baseball tournament

O’FALLON, Mo. — With one on and two out, the Tigers were an out away from an 0-2 trip to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament this weekend. That’s when freshman Max Wyninger stepped to the plate.

The freshman designated hitter launched a two-run home run to right field, stunning the Blackburn Beavers and giving the Tigers a 4-3 win.

The walk-off win was a bright spot in a 1-2 weekend. The Tigers lost to Fontbonne University 14-0 in Thursday’s first round and were eliminated 8-1 by Fontbonne on Friday evening.

After a disappointing Game 1 loss, the Tigers played neck-and-neck with Blackburn for nine innings.

The Beavers scored first in the third inning, but Iowa Wesleyan’s Nick Salas tied the game up with a single in the bottom half. Blackburn went back up 2-1 with a run in the top of the eighth, but Salas answered the call once more, launching a solo homer to center.

With the game tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth, the Beavers went ahead once more, scoring one run on a passed ball. Iowa Wesleyan reliever Brandon Devillier wiggled out of the jam with just the one run given up, and the Tigers trailed 3-2 into the bottom of the ninth.

Chris D’Elia led the ninth off with a double to center field. The next two batters popped up. Iowa Wesleyan was down to its last breath.

Wyninger’s two-run shot not only lifted the Tigers to the next round of the tournament but ended the season for Blackburn.

Devillier got the win on the mound after giving up just one unearned run in 1⅓ innings of work. Luis Ayesa had a strong start, going 7⅔ innings and giving up two unearned runs. Ayesa finished the day with seven strikeouts.

Iowa Wesleyan played Fontbonne to a stand still through the first two innings in the grudge match on Friday evening. Fontbonne eventually broke it open, scoring two in the third, five in the fifth and one in the eighth.

Iowa Wesleyan launched one more homer before the season was through. Michael Noonan hit a solo shot to left to lead off the top of the ninth, but the next three batters went down quietly.

Spalding University and Webster University will meet in the SLIAC baseball championship this weekend. Iowa Wesleyan ended its season at 9-21.