East Peoria, Ill. - The ICC baseball team split with Danville on Monday night in M-WAC action, dropping the first game 6-3 in nine innings while winning the nightcap 8-7 at Thome Field.  Sophomore slugger Ben Nofsinger (Peoria Christian HS) and fellow classmate Brody Reed (Washington HS) paced the offense, with Nofsinger hitting two home runs to set the record for homers in a single season and Reed coming through with a walk-off single to give ICC the win in Game 2.   

Game 1 |  Danville 6, ICC 3 (9 innings)
Danville took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. 

In the bottom half of the first Nofsinger, the UI-Springfield commit, hit a blast that cleared the scoreboard in left field to make history.  It was his 16th home run of the 2022 season, breaking Josh Bolen's record of 15 dingers set back in 2001.  (Bolen went on to play at the University of Louisville and was drafted by the Boston and later played in the Tampa Bay Double AA organization).  

ICC evened the score in the bottom of the third on Nofsinger's RBI double that scored Coltin Quagliano, who had singled.  

In the bottom of the fourth Travis Lutz doubled, Cam Porter singled, and Chase Ulrich hit a sacrifice fly to score a run and put ICC up 3-2. 

Danville hit a solo homer in the top of the 6th inning to send the game into extra innings and then scored three runs in the top of the 9th to take the game. 

Brady Brecklin had a solid outing on the mound, recording eleven strikeouts in seven innings and giving up three runs in a no-decision.  Cam Glick had two strikeouts in two innings but took the loss, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits.

Offensively, Reed went 2-5 with a double and a single, Nofsinger was 2-3 (homer, double, and two RBI), while Ulrich went 1-3 (double and an RBI).

Game 2 | ICC 8, Danville 7
Coltin Quagliano started off the game with a lead-off home run to left field.  Jake Burge singled, Kaleb Gauf walked, and Evan Pogioli and Jackson Powell each had RBI singles to put ICC up 3-0.  

DACC answered with two runs in the top of the second, but the Cougars roared right back with two of their own as Zach Otten singled, Quagliano doubled, and Reed was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Nofsinger stepped to the plate and hit a long fly ball that barely stayed inside the park but allowed Otten to tag up for a run.  Burge added an RBI single as ICC led 5-2.

Nofsinger added to his record in the bottom of the fourth inning, sending another ball over the left field fence to score he and Reed and give ICC a 7-2 advantage.

The Jaguars rallied with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score at 5-all.  Both teams stayed scoreless until the bottom of the seventh when Ulrich walked and Otten sacrifice-bunted him to second.  Quagliano hit a grounder that moved Ulrich to third before Reed singled with two outs on a 2-1 count for the walk-off hit. 

Quagliano went 3-5 (double, single, RBI), Reed 3-4 (3 singles, RBI), Burge 2-4 (2 singles, RBI), and Nofsinger 1-3 (3 RBI, home run).  

Joe Nelan pitched five and a third innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits while striking out four Jags.  Conor Whittaker came on in relief to get the win, giving up three hits, two runs (one earned), and one strikeout.  

Next up:  The Cougars (11-23 overall, 7-17 in the M-WAC) have canceled their May 3 game at Southeastern Iowa due to the weather forecast.  Their next outing will now be Thursday, May 5 as they host Black Hawk in a 3pm double-header at Thome Field.