DUBUQUE, Iowa — Nebraska Wesleyan had the lead. It just couldn't hold it. The Prairie Wolves built an 11-10 advantage heading into the bottom of the ninth Saturday morning at Petrakis Park, only to watch Loras plate two runs against closers Tyler Spreitzer and Brady Bell to walk it off for a 12-11 win to take the American Rivers Conference series two games to one. The loss dropped Nebraska Wesleyan to 8-20 overall and 3-9 in conference play, and marked the first time the Prairie Wolves have been walked off since the 2025 American Rivers Conference Championship Game on May 10, 2025.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The afternoon started poorly. Loras scored in the first without recording an out. Jake Zeal reached on a bunt single, advanced to second when catcher Jake Shedarowich's throw went awry, moved to third on a Trevor Storer error, and crossed the plate on a Storer wild pitch. The Duhawks had a run on the board before Nebraska Wesleyan had retired anyone.
The Prairie Wolves found their footing in the third. Brayden Scholfield led off with a single to right-center and Gavin Crogg followed with a two-run home run to put NWU ahead 2-1. But Loras answered in the bottom of the third, and the teams traded blows through the middle innings while Storer settled in. He exited with two outs in the fifth having allowed five earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings, striking out four.
The fifth inning was when Nebraska Wesleyan took the game by the collar. Scholfield singled to open the frame and eventually scored on a Shedarowich single. Duncan Ortega followed with a two-RBI single that plated two more, and before the inning was done, the Prairie Wolves had sent 11 men to the plate and scored six runs to build what appeared to be a comfortable 8-5 lead. Cohle Sherman added a sacrifice fly and Owen Duckworth drove in another for good measure. Sherman finished the afternoon 1-for-2 with three RBIs.
Duckworth was one of Nebraska Wesleyan's most consistent bats, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Scholfield went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI, and Crogg drove in two runs on two hits including the home run.
But Loras would not go quietly. The Duhawks scored once in the fifth to cut the lead, and Dominic Sis, who worked a clean sixth, could not stop the bleeding in the seventh. Three Duhawk runs, aided by a Ben Shea double and a Liam Sullivan triple, gave Loras a 9-8 through seven innings. Sis struck out four in two innings of work. Dominic Bentley entered and was unable to record an out before Spreitzer took over.
The game see-sawed. Vince Polizzi launched a solo home run off Spreitzer in the eighth to give Loras a 10-8 lead, setting the stage for Nebraska Wesleyan's gutsy ninth. Sherman delivered a two-RBI single and Duckworth added an RBI single to push NWU back in front, 11-10.
It lasted one half-inning.
Spreitzer gave up a leadoff single and then a bunt single, one Shedarowich and the whole Nebraska Wesleyan dugout believed his throw had beaten to the bag, put two on with nobody out. After Spreitzer retired the lead runner on a bunt attempt, the next hitter singled to center to tie the game at 11. Head coach Jeff Christy went to Brady Bell. On the first pitch, Bell allowed a line drive to right field that scored the go-ahead run and ended it. No throw was made. The Duhawks had their walk-off.
UP NEXT
Nebraska Wesleyan returns to action Tuesday with a doubleheader at Buena Vista in Storm Lake, Iowa, with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
