EHS Graduate Brent Beals Playing For Millikin Baseball

The Millikin baseball team split a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) doubleheader at Wheaton College March 30 in Wheaton. The Big Blue lost game one 9-3, but won the second game 4-0.

Starting pitcher Adam Zuk (Plainfield North H.S.) was the story for Millikin in game two. Zuk pitched eight shutout innings allowing one hit while striking out 13. Zuk faced the minimum 24 batters in his eight innings of work. Brent Beals (Effingham H.S.) pitched the final inning allowing one hit.

Millikin scored single runs in the second, sixth, seventh and eighth innings.  Anthony Bryan (Plainfield Central H.S.), Mason Bruce (Mt. Zion H.S.) and Gabe Soria (Naperville Central H.S.) each had two hits for the Big Blue. Bruce and Soria each had a double and an RBI. Jake Stanton (Lockport Township H.S.) had a run scoring single for Millikin’s final run in the eighth.

Wheaton jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in game one, but Millikin rallied to take the lead with a three run fifth inning. The Thunder then took control of the game with a six run seventh inning. Bruce had a two-run single for Millikin and Soria had a run scoring base hit.

Millikin dropped its conference opener on March 27 at Augustana College 11-10. Trailing 11-4 in the sixth, the Big Blue scored three runs on RBI by Anthony Bryan, Beals, and Jon Walters (Normal Central Catholic H.S.). Beals was 4-5 on the day and Walters was 3-5 for the Big Blue. In the seventh inning, Frank Bryan (Plainfield Central H.S.) mashed a solo homerun to lead off to make the Viking lead 11-8. Bruce added another homerun in the top of the eighth inning to cut the lead to 11-10. Bruce was 3-5 with three RBI.

Millikin baseball defeated Wisconsin-Stout 12-2 March 25 in Decatur.

The Big Blue racked up six runs in the bottom of the first on a two-RBI double by Walters, a two-run homerun by Frank Bryan, an RBI single by Soria, and a wild pitch that scored Millikin first baseman Andrew Auton (Mt. Zion H.S.). Millikin put up four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on RBI hits by Luke Azzarelli (Kankakee Herscher H.S.) and Beals. Bruce provided a two-RBI double to make it 10-2 Big Blue and cap off the second big inning for Millikin on the day.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Big Blue added the two runs on a solo homerun by Bruce and an RBI single by Soria that scored Frank Bryan. Bruce was 2-4 on the day with three RBI, and Soria was 2-3 with two RBI.

Millikin is now 6-9, 1-2 and will host Wheaton College Monday, April 1 at 6 p.m. at Sunnyside Park in Decatur.