West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University continued their winning momentum by securing a victory over St. Ambrose with an 18-8 scoreline. The game on Tuesday afternoon marked the third consecutive win for Western Illinois, showcasing a strong performance from both their pitching and batting lineups.

Harrison Dubois, starting pitcher for Western Illinois, earned his first win of the season. Dubois delivered a solid performance, pitching four innings and striking out four, while allowing only three hits and no runs. Alex Esker came in to close the game for the Leathernecks, pitching the final 1.1 innings without surrendering any runs, striking out two, and allowing just three hits. The team managed to amass 14 hits, leading to their highest run total in a game this season.

The game began with Western Illinois failing to score in the first inning, but they quickly recovered. In the second inning, Liam Bushey contributed an RBI single, opening up the scoring. A throwing error allowed for an additional run to leave Western Illinois leading 2-0. The momentum continued in the third inning with Justin Bogard hitting a home run, his first for the season, increasing the lead to five. The fourth inning saw Paul Osting and Tyler Large contribute to the scorecard with a sacrifice fly and a double, respectively.

St. Ambrose narrowed the lead in the fifth inning with a grand slam, tightening the score to 7-5. Western Illinois responded robustly in their half of the inning with seven runs, notably from Kenneth Perez and Brock Lummus, each contributing two-run singles to extend the lead further. St. Ambrose added three runs in the sixth inning, yet Western Illinois remained firmly in command. Contributions from Tyler Large and Matt Olive widened the gap once more.

In the seventh inning, Brock Lummus led off with a double and scored, thanks to a double from Wandel Campana, finalizing the game at 18-8.

On the offensive front, Krayton Morse and Brock Lummus anchored the attack with three hits each, with Lummus particularly effective, securing two RBIs. Western Illinois demonstrated discipline and patience at the plate, drawing 11 walks, with Liam Bushey himself walking three times.

The Leathernecks are set to travel to Little Rock, Arkansas for an upcoming three-game series against the Little Rock Trojans starting Thursday night.

For more details and updates on Western Illinois' baseball team, visit their official platform GoLeathernecks.com or follow them on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.