WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—Gordon and Wheaton (Ill.) split a doubleheader in the inaugural meeting between the two programs on a sunny Saturday in Florida. The Fighting Scots powered their way to four home runs on the day, but a late rally in the second game fell just short of completing a sweep. Gordon took game one 5-1 before dropping the second of the twinbill, 7-6.
 
Any type of offense came at a premium during game one with both teams' pitchers looking solid in the early going. Wheaton's Johnny Peltz (Wheaton, Ill.) looked to kick start the Thunder offense in the top of the second inning with a lead-off double. He eventually stole third base, but was left stranded with Gordon pitcher Mark Fitzgerald (Camarillo, Calif.) working himself out of a jam.
 
The Thunder finally broke the stalemate in the top half of the third frame when Josh Kimmel (Carlisle, Pa.) took a walk with one out. Matt Schappell (Fort Myers, Fla.) slapped a single to push Kimmel to third before stealing second himself to put two runners in scoring position with only one out. Fitzgerald got Peter Newman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) to ground out, but it allowed Kimmel to cross the plate for the game's first run. Gordon was able to strand Schappell at third to avoid any other damage in the inning.
 
Gordon struck back in the bottom of the fourth. After Travis Pullen (Las Vegas, Nev.) flied out to the pitcher, Alonzo Martinez (El Paso, Texas) earned a walk. Thunder starter John Schmitz (West Chicago, Ill.) struck out Jesse Amaya (South Gate, Calif.) but again walked another batter in Daniel Mahutga (Corning, Calif.) to put two runners on base.
 
Jared Kefalas (Wenham, Mass.) made things more interesting with a single, but neither runner could advance home and juiced the bases for the Scots. Jeremy Jackson (Waco, Texas) stepped to the plate and gave Gordon a big lead with one swing of the bat. The junior launched a pitch over the outfield wall for Gordon's first grand slam of the season and third home run overall.
 
Martinez jacked a solo shot in the fifth to push Gordon's lead to 5-1 and Wheaton was never able to recover. Fitzgerald pitched a complete game, giving up five hits and one run to get the victory. The senior also struck out six batters on the day.
 
Game two saw a much different pace on both sides of the diamond.
 
Wheaton started off the scoring in the bottom of the first inning on a RBI single by Matt Krause (Mackinaw, Ill.). Gordon evened the game in the next half-inning with a RBI base hit from Kefalas to score Fitzgerald.
 
After minimizing their errors in the morning game, Gordon struggled with errors again in game two—an issue that plagued them on Friday. Wheaton put a run on the board in the bottom of the second to go back up 2-1 thanks to an error in the infield. Pullen answered back in the fourth inning for the Fighting Scots on a solo shot—Gordon's third homer of the day.
 
However, a bases-clearing triple by Andrew Laucella (Santa Cruz, Calif.) in the fifth inning put Gordon a three-run hole with just two frames to go. Alex Smith (Wethersfield, Conn.) brought Gordon back within one run in the next inning on a 2-RBI knock to left field.
 
Errors reared their ugly head in the bottom of the sixth, allowing the Thunder to tack on two more runs before Gordon's final attempt at the plate. Those runs proved big as Fitzgerald hit a long ball to score Martinez in the top of the seventh, but Gordon was unable to score again in a 7-6 loss. Junior Ryan Block (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) took the loss for the Scots.
 
The Fighting Scots (1-3) have Sunday off before returning to action on Monday for a single, nine-inning game with Saint Joseph's of Maine.