With the first pitch of the Titans’ April 14, 2026, baseball game was thrown slightly after 6:00 p.m., it seemed like just another standard night. Instead, the game would turn into a nine-inning slugfest against the Eagles of Benedictine University in a game with 40-combined runs scored.
Coming into the game with a record of 9-17, the Titans’ year has heavily focused on player growth and rebuilding after the loss of many key seniors from the class of 2025. When the Titans gave up five runs (including a grand slam) in the top of the first, it seemed like just another game of testing the bullpen and trying to get comfortable amidst a blowout in the making.
But Illinois Wesleyan didn’t have its eyes set on a short game ending in the seventh inning. The Titans wanted Benedictine for all nine innings.
The Titans stayed scoreless through the bottom of the first, but senior pitcher Jack Flagg stayed in the game despite the five earned runs in the first and kept Benedictine off the board in the top of the second. The Titans returned to the plate and got baserunners of junior Jack Novak and Flagg with senior Gage Wolfe up to bat. A hit to the right advanced the runners, bringing Novak home for the Titans’ first run of the day and putting Flagg on third. Flagg would return home on a fielder’s choice. A few batters later, with two runners on base and the tying run of sophomore AJ Weller at the plate, Weller slingshotted one over the fence in right center to even the score at 5-5.
With every inning, the delicate back-and-forth dance between Benedictine and Illinois Wesleyan grew more and more intense. Senior Nathan Waterman entered the game to relieve Flagg but allowed Benedictine to score three more runs in the top of the fourth. But, not to be outdone, the Titans put up four runs in the home half to take their first lead of the day, 9-8.
By the start of the fifth, both schools had already trotted out two pitchers each. After senior Nathan Waterman allowed his fourth run and sixth hit of the day, coach Michael Kellar brought in pitcher number three: sophomore Brandon Cerocke. With the move, Benedictine could smell something in the air: fear. Cerocke walked three straight batters, allowing two runs, and Kellar quickly called it a day for the young pitcher and brought in senior Sean Hollandoner to try and rescue the Titans with no outs and loaded bases.
Hollandoner would allow two sacrifice flies and two walks, allowing another three earned runs before striking out senior Nic Castrovillari to escape the inning with Benedictine leading 13-9.
The Titans managed to score another two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the floodgates were officially open for the Eagles. In the top of the sixth, Benedictine scored another five runs. While Benedictine played their part in loading the bases, the Titans’ lone two errors of the game allowed four unearned runs (alongside one earned), which ended Hollandoner’s day on the mound.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Titans now faced their largest deficit of the day, trailing 18-11. While two more RBIs from sophomore Matt Hudik and Weller closed the gap to five, the Titans still had a sizable gap to close with time running out. A lone homer from Novak capped off an uneventful seventh inning.
But uneventful would be the last word anyone would use to describe the eighth inning. After keeping the Eagles off the board in the top half, the Titans now more than ever needed to put some runs on the board if they wanted a chance to complete the comeback.
Senior Tommy Willard drew a walk to open play, followed by a double by Hudik. Another double by Weller scored the Titans’ first two runs of the late inning. Sophomore Ben Ford and junior John Philip Ferraro both got on base with a walk and hit-by-pitch, respectively, to load the bases. A single by Novak scored the third run while a walk by junior Luca Morelli brought in the fourth. The Titans had officially re-tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, and had bases loaded with no outs. The Titans would score another four runs before the Eagles retired them, giving the Titans their largest lead of the day going into the top of the ninth, leading 22-18.
Coach Kellar would turn to the bullpen one final time to bring out the sixth Titan pitcher of the evening, first-year closer Brayden Elliott. And after three hours and 42 minutes of grueling, back-and-forth baseball, Elliott delivered his 16th pitch to senior Mike Budorick, a ground ball directly to the first baseman to end the three-hour, 42-minute war of attrition.
The Eagles and the Titans combined for an absurd 40 runs. The Titans’ 22 runs were the most since scoring 23 against Carthage on April 3, 2022.
After the game, Coach Kellar and Novak met with livestream commentators Michael Eganhouse and Matt Sosler to discuss the game. Kellar talked about his joy that the team was able to battle for so long and never give up, and joked that he was happy that all the effort didn’t end up in vain. He also thanked IWU’s many donors across the country, as the game was taking place in the waning hours of Illinois Wesleyan’s All-In Day.
Novak thanked his teammates for battling through such a long, back-and-forth battle. Novak credited game-changers in the team “at every level of the game.”
“We’ve been knocked down so many times this year,” Novak said, “but we keep getting up every time and keep going. We’re never out of a ball game until the last out.”
The Titans will play their final home game of the 2026 season against North Park on May 2 at Horenberger Field. The first pitch of the double-header Senior Day is at 1:00 p.m.
