YELLE'S WALK-OFF HIT LIFTS ONU IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE CCAC TOURNAMENT

JOLIET, Ill. – Donovan Yelle played hero in the early hours Saturday morning as the top-seeded Olivet Nazarene University baseball team came out on top in walk-off fashion over the eighth-seeded IU-South Bend Titans. Rain delays and extra innings for tournament games earlier in the day pushed ONU's start time back, but the Tigers persevered to a 5-4 victory in their opening contest of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

Olivet started off slow as a passed ball in the second inning gave IU-South Bend the lead early. Offensively the Tigers could only produce two singles for hits and four total baserunners in the first four innings. Thomas Burns kept it a one-run ballgame tossing three strikeouts, three walks, three hits, and no earned runs in six innings of work. The sophomore right-handed pitcher worked his way through a jam in the third inning to keep the Titans from doubling their lead.


The Purple and Gold's offense broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning to take their first lead of the game. Gunnar Pullins began the inning with a lead-off walk followed by Garret Mooney's bunt single to put two men on with no outs. Robert Jackman singled through the left side of the infield to put the Tigers on the board followed by Ryan Russmann's sacrifice lineout put them ahead.

IU-SB responded to regain their lead by manufacturing three runs in the seventh inning.  ONU kicked off their late game rally in the eighth to knot the game back up 4-4. Nolan Louis doubled to right-center field to score Jackman. Tyler Wheeler's RBI single drove in Louis to level the score.

Pullins represented the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Valparaiso native drew his second lead-off walk of the night and advanced to third via a wild pitch followed by a Mooney's ball in play to advance the runner. Yelle came through in the clutch with his second walk-off hit of the season as Olivet advanced to the winners' bracket of the conference tournament.

GAME VITALS

(No. 1) Olivet Nazarene (35-15, 27-3 CCAC) | (No. 8) IU-South Bend (15-31-1, 9-20-1 CCAC)

2022 CCAC Baseball Tournament Bracket


WHAT'S NEXT

With the win, the Tigers advance to the winner's bracket of the CCAC Tournament and will play the Fighting Saints of St. Francis.  The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m. CST at DuPage Medical Field in Joliet, Ill. To follow along, visit ONUTigers.com.

--ONU—

*Contact: Patrick Kaindl, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, pkaindl@olivet.edu