East Peoria, IL - The Illinois Central College Baseball team (1-11, 1-3) were thrilled to return to the confines of Thome Field on Sunday afternoon for the 2025 home opener, as they concluded their four-game series with the fourth-ranked Heartland Hawks (9-7, 3-1). Fireworks were aplenty in the first game, with a Kyle Binder walk-off single giving ICC a 4-3 win in the opener, before the Hawks cruised by a 17-3 final score in the finale. 

GAME ONE | ILLINOIS CENTRAL 4, #4 HEARTLAND 3
This one would get off to a good start for the Hawks. They would load the bases in the first, but a Blake Norton strikeout ended the early threat. Second inning - runners on the corners with just one out - Norton strikeout, Norton groundout - still scoreless. 

Heartland would break through in the third on a pair of 1-0 counts, a single followed by a two-run home run and a subsequent 2-0 lead. After another single reached, that single would come around to score on an error for a 3-0 advantage after two and a half. 

Bit by bit, the Cougars fought back. Ryan Brucker had an RBI single to score Aidan Fulton and make it a two-run game. 

Fast forward to the fifth, and the Hawks are held to a 1-2-3 inning on a pair of Norton K's and a David Ripke to Jake Stewart groundout. In the bottom half, the Cougars made another push - Nate Bartman reached on an error and Fulton drew a walk, setting the table for Bartman to score on an error three batters later for a 3-2 score. 

From the bottom of the fifth through the top of the seventh, pitching headlined the game. Heartland had the lone hit over that stretch, a single in the top of the seventh, but it was snuffed out. 

They say fortune favors the leadoff base runner. Well, in the bottom of the seventh, Thomas Krueger fought off an 0-2 pitch and legged out an infield single. That was soon followed by a Brucker single and Jayden Malone walk.

Bases loaded - nobody out - one-run game. After taking his first two pitches (1-1 count), Kyle Binder ripped a single up the middle to score Krueger, then Brucker beat the throw to the plate and slid in safely for the 4-3 walk off winner. 

Cougar Hitting
Aidan Fulton (CF) | 1 single, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Thomas Krueger (3B) | 1 single
Ryan Brucker (DH) | 2 singles, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Jayden Malone (RF) | 1 single
Kyle Binder (C) | 2 singles, 2 RBI, 1 walk
Jake Stewart (1B) | 1 single
Chris Casey | 1 walk
Connor Patton (LF) | 1 stolen base
Nate Bartman (SS) | 1 stolen base

Cougar Pitching
Blake Norton (W; 1-1) | 7 innings, 7 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts

GAME TWO | #4 HEARTLAND 17, ILLINOIS CENTRAL 3
It's safe to say the Hawks were motivated after a tough loss in the opener. Heartland would storm out to a 5-0 lead after four innings. 

Yet in the bottom of the fifth, the Cougars made it interesting. David Ripke drew a full-count walk and Aidan Fulton singled on a 2-1 count to put two on with two outs. After missing on the first strike, Thomas Krueger launched a three-run home run over the center field fence to pull within 5-3 after five innings. 

Unfortunately, that was it. Heartland would score 12 unanswered runs the rest of the ball game, with the dagger coming in an eight run eighth inning: bases-loaded walk, RBI sacrifice fly, two run-scoring errors, RBI sacrifice fly, hit by pitch, and a two-run single. 

The Cougars would go 1-2-3 in the eighth to end it early. 

Cougar Hitting
Aidan Fulton (CF) | 2 singles, 1 walk
Thomas Krueger (3B) | 1 home run, 3 RBI
Kyle Binder (DH) | 1 walk
Jake Stewart (1B) | 1 single
David Ripke (2B) | 1 double, 1 walk
Jayden Malone (RF) | 1 hit by pitch

Cougar Pitching
Mason Lynch (L; 0-3) | 4 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
Broker Bailey | 3 innings, 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
Wyatt Jacek | 3 batters, 1 hit, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
Tyler Sabodor | 0.2 innings, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 0 strikeouts
Caleb Diver | 0.1 innings, 1 hit, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
vs. Carl Sandburg Chargers (1-0)
Wednesday, March 12th - 4:00 PM
at Thome Field - East Peoria, IL
Watch Live (AWRE TV)
Live Stats (GameChanger; "25 ICC Cougars Baseball")