LINCOLN, Neb. (February 18, 2024) - The Nebraska Wesleyan baseball team started the 2024 season with a pair of high-scoring victories over Westminster (Mo.) on Sunday afternoon. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

GAME 1

• Nebraska Wesleyan won against Westminster College for their first game of the 2024 season. The final score was 11-1.
• The Prairie Wolves started off strong, scoring two runs in the first inning after an RBI groundout from Thomas Fiocchi and a double by Carter Betts, 2-0.
• Thomas Fiocchi continued the offensive show for the P-Wolves with a two-run home run in the third inning to make the score 4-0.
• In the sixth inning, the Bluejays responded with their only run of the game, making the score 5-1.
• The Black and Gold tacked on three more insurance runs in the seventh with a double by Duncan Oretega, 8-1. 
• An eventful eighth inning gave the Prairie Wolves their final runs. Betts put the ball in play to score Aaron Chazin, and Jason English roped a two-RBI single to left field, 11-1.
• Tyson Romero tossed five innings for NWU and earned his first win on the mound this season. Romero struck out seven and gave up three hits.

• Game 2

• A high-scoring second game for the Prairie Wolves resulted in another win against Westminster College with a tight score of 11-10.
• With the bases loaded and Jason English up to bat, the Bluejays unintentionally hit English, bringing in Jake Gerardis for Nebraska Wesleyan's first run of Game 2. 
• Jake Gerardis would then double in the second inning to pick up an RBI, making the score 2-0. 
• The Black and Gold had a busy fourth inning, scoring eight of their eleven runs. Hits by Brady Bell, Carter Betts, and Evan Kling resulted in runs for the Prairie Wolves, securing a sizable lead of 10-1.
• Westminster scored three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, shaving the P-Wolves' lead to six, 10-4.
• A double by Jason English in the seventh inning gave NWU their final run of the game to make their lead 11-7.
• The Bluejays scored runs in three of the final four innings but came up just short. Nebraska Wesleyan completed the sweep on the day, winning 11-10.
• A committee of Caeden Riley, Devin Lawler, Theo Hughes, Max Brammier, and Brady Bell got the job done for the Black and Gold on the mound. Together, they struck out nine batters and allowed nine hits. Starter Caeden Riley was handed the victory. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

GAME 1

• Brady Bell (1B): 2-4, 2 R, 1 RBI
• Jake Gerardis (SS): 2-3, 3 R
• Carter Betts (2B): 2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B
• Duncan Ortega (3B): 2-5, 3 RBI, 1 2B

GAME 2

• Aaron Chazin (CF): 3-4, 2 R, 1 RBI
• Jake Gerardis (SS): 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
• Evan Kling (DH): 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 2B
• Jason English (RF): 1-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B

UP NEXT 
Nebraska Wesleyan will finish the series against Westminster (Mo.) tomorrow with an early game at 11:00 a.m.