CHICAGO, IL. - Dropping the first game of the three-game series against Illinois Tech, Judson University left 10 players on base in a 7-3 loss. Judson is now 8-15 on the year and 3-6 in the CCAC.

Heath Groves went 7.1 innings receiving his first loss of the season giving up five earned runs. Phillip Stewart finished the final 0.2 innings for Judson. Royce Krueger went 2-of-4 as the only player with two hits. Chris Lucius, Tim Victor, and Mike Krueger all had a RBI.

Illinois Tech scored first in the third inning with just one run but Judson answered in the top of the fourth to tie the game at one. Victor flied out to center field for a sacrifice to bring home Bret Ehrlich. Illinois Tech added two more in the bottom of the fourth to retake the lead, 3-1.

Judson cut the lead to one, 3-2, in the top of the fifth inning on a Lucius single as Kevin Fischer crossed the plate. But, Illinois Tech made sure to add their fourth run of the game in the bottom of the inning for a two-run advantage, 4-2. Once again, Judson was back within striking distance with one run in the sixth inning as Jake Bostwick scored on a Mike Krueger single to make it 4-3. This was the crucial inning for Judson as they left three runners on and came away with just a single run.

Scoring three combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings, Illinois Tech put the game out of reach for a four-run lead, 7-3.

Judson will host Illinois Tech on Saturday, April 4^th, for Hoffer Day at Hoffer Field at 1:00 p.m. Judson University will honor the Hoffer Family for their contributions to the Judson baseball program.