TU Rallies Past No. 24 Lindsey Wilson for Seventh-Straight Win
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor University baseball team scored in four of its final five innings to overcome an early deficit at Winterholter Field on Tuesday evening, storming back for an 8-4 win over No. 24 Lindsey Wilson in a non-league tilt.
The victory extended TU's season-high win streak to seven-straight games, with the last five games in that stretch all coming against teams that competed in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round one year ago.
Taylor had to dig out from an early 3-0 deficit to register its third win of the year over a top-25 foe and its second of the season against the Blue Raiders (32-18), after a fielding error led to a trio of unearned tallies for the guests in the top of the third.
LWC's lone earned run of the night made it a 4-2 contest in the seventh, but Sam Wiese laced a one-out double in the bottom half and back-to-back two-out run-scoring singles by Tanner Watson and Brian Moore drew the Trojans even at 4-4.
TU pulled in front with another rally one inning later, scoring four times on two hits with the added benefit of three walks and two hit batters in the frame. Taylor did it again with two outs, as Wiese slapped the go-ahead single and Josh Lane followed with an RBI knock of his own for a 6-4 lead. Moore and Lincoln Reed then reached with the bases loaded on a walk and a hit by pitch to open up the 8-4 spread.
Rob Fox entered as the sixth pitcher of the night for Taylor and struck out two of the three batters he faced to preserve the victory.
Jake West (2-1) was credited with the win on the mound, after tossing a scoreless eighth and Jamie Bristol led all TU hurlers by working three efficient frames to start the game. As a group, Taylor's six arms held the Lindsey Wilson lineup to one earned run on five hits and fanned 11.
Wiese paced the offense with two hits, a double, two runs scored and the game-winning RBI, while Moore also collected two hits, knocked in two, scored once and swiped a base. Wyatt Whitman had a strong outing as a pinch and courtesy runner, swiping two bags and scoring three times in the win.
Taylor (29-12, 11-3 CL) will return to Crossroads League action on Thursday at 5:00 pm at Indiana Wesleyan (29-15, 11-7 CL) to start a crucial four-game series between the cross-county rivals.