TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology baseball team attempted two late rallies, but fell short 5-2 to Chicago and 8-6 to Wisconsin-Platteville on Sunday in the final day of the 2018 Fightin' Engineer Baseball Invitational.
Rose-Hulman trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth against Chicago, then closed within 4-2 with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Chicago added the final run in the eighth, and received solid relief pitching to earn the win.
Ian Bohn and Brian Lyle led the Chicago offense with three hits each. Joe Liberman pitched the first five innings to gain the win, and Daniel Smith tossed four shutout innings for the save.
Conner Shipley paced Rose-Hulman with four singles, completing a 9-10 stretch in two games against Chicago this weekend. Conner Helbling and Brian Thomas added two hits each, with Thomas contributing a double and one RBI. Helbling scored twice and had one stolen base.
In the nightcap, Rose-Hulman trailed 8-3 in the bottom of the eighth before scoring three times and placing the tying runs in scoring position. Wisconsin-Platteville held on to pick up its first win of the weekend.
Zach Witonsky led the Rose-Hulman offense with a 5-5 performance at the plate that included a double and four singles. Luke Calabrese added three hits, including a two-run double. David Burnside also had a pair of hits for the Fightin' Engineers.
Jonathan Kelso and Brooks Chandler paced Wisconsin-Platteville with three hits each. Tim Dobrik pitched the first six innings with five strikeouts to pick up the victory.
Rose-Hulman stands 3-11 on the season and returns to action with games against Wartburg and Webster next Sunday in Sauget, Ill.
