OAKLAND CITY, Ind. – The Lewis University baseball team rallied from a two-run deficit in the seventh inning to defeat Oakland City 5-3 and earn the series win Sunday (April 29) in a nonconference game at Pinnick Field.
 
Lewis fell behind 1-0 in the second inning, but evened the score in the fourth on an Austin Tittle (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) RBI. The Mighty Oaks added to their lead in the sixth as Caleb Wagner drove home his second and third runs of the game to make the score 3-1. In the top the seventh Jermaine Terry (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Tittle and Neal Tyrell (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) doubled down the left field line to drive in the tying run. A wild pitch scored Connor Rutherford (DePere, Wis./DePere) to give the Flyers a 5-4 lead.
 
Another Tyrell double in the ninth inning added an insurance run as Rutherford scored. Brady Kostecki (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) came on in relief with runners on the corners and one out in the ninth. He was able to force a line out to second base and got the final batter to look at strike three to end the game, picking up his seventh save of the year.
 
Tyrell had a two-hit, two-RBI game for the Flyers, while Rutherford walked three times and scored twice. Charlie Wright (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) started the game and went four innings, allowing four hits and one earned run, striking out three. Dalton Hottle (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) (3-0) earned the win, going two innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs. Matt Verdun (Homer Glen, Ill./St. Rita) pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing two hits and no runs.
 
Lewis travels to face Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division leader Illinois Springfield (18-1 GLVC) for the final four games of the regular season next weekend. The first two games are scheduled to be played Friday (May 4), beginning at 12 p.m.