Box Score

Galesburg, IL – The Prairie Fire came back from an early deficit, but mistakes in the field in the eighth inning were costly in a 9-3 loss to Illinois Wesleyan University on Tuesday night.

The Titans scored three first inning runs on a pair of hits off first-year Knox starter Kenny Blanchard (Morton Grove, IL, Niles West) to take the early lead.  Blanchard settled down and allowed just one hit in his next two innings pitched.

The Prairie Fire (6-12) got on the board with a run in the second inning on an RBI double by junior Matt Lee (Fullerton, CA, Servite) to trim the Wesleyan lead to 3-1.

Knox added another run in the fourth inning when junior Kyle Walenga (San Francisco, CA, Waldorf) scored on a wild pitch.  The Fire tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning when junior Caleb Weaver (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) doubled home sophomore Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates), who led off the inning with a walk.

After Blanchard and three relievers -- junior Gabe Ayers (Hanna City, IL, Farmington Community), sophomore Paul Mills (Moline, IL, Moline), and sophomore Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, lL, Hinsdale Central) -- held the Titans (16-7) scoreless for six innings, Wesleyan turned three Prairie Fire miscues and two hits into a 6-3 lead.  IWU scored three more times in the ninth, when the hosts committed two more errors.

Knox outhit the Titans 9-6.  Lee and Weaver each had two hits and drove in a run for the Fire.

Sophomore Dustin Armstrong (Cincinnati, OH, Country Day) (0-2), who came on to pitch in the eighth inning, was saddled with the loss.

The game was played at Sundberg Field on the campus of Galesburg High School.

The Fire travels to Springfield for a non-conference game against Robert Morris University on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

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