On April 22, the College of DuPage baseball team hosted rival Joliet Junior College in a high-energy matchup filled with momentum swings and late-game drama. The contest culminated in a walk-off win for DuPage, capturing a thrilling 5-4 victory in extra innings.

 DuPage and Joliet have had a couple of good games in recent history. In 2024 COD’s Jack Wade walked it off for the Chaps to get their revenge after getting slaughtered in their first meeting that year (4-14). In their first matchup this year, Joliet got the best of COD by putting up a four run first inning and keeping the lead. No love has been lost between these two teams. 

Mike Biscan started on the mound for COD. Biscans’ first batter of the day was Jayden Laurence, who lined a single right back up the middle. Biscan made the next batter ground out to AJ Fulscher, who threw an off-target ball to second that pulled Alex Chaltin off the base but still got the out at first. 

Biscan had some luck on his side in the first inning, with Zack Tarrant up to bat he grounded to shortstop and hit Laurence, resulting in Laurence being called out and a dead ball. Mason Heitzler flew out to Michael Morgan in center field to end the top of the first. 

COD went down in order in the bottom of the inning. 

Biscan struck out his first victim of the day in the top of the second for the first out. Joe Pender caught the second out of the inning in left field after gliding to his right and making the catch on the run from the bat of Johnny Carrera. Dillon Hinojosa worked a long count and grounded a single up the middle. Chaltin made the last out of the inning by getting a force out at second base.

Cullen Kleinsasser flew out to left field for the first out of the bottom of the second. Pender lined out. Designated Hitter Jason Sullivan got COD on the board with a big fly that cleared the left field wall for his eighth home run of the year. The bottom of the second ended two batter later after Billy Rogus grounded out.

Biscan made quick work of Joliet in the top half of the third. 

Morgan hit a soft ground ball that led into the first out of the inning. Matt McBrien got hit by the pitch to get him to first with one out. Fulscher got walked after getting into a full count. Chaltin worked a full count and got walked to load the bases for Kleinsasser. Kleninsasser struck out looking and Pender grounded out to short, stranding three runners. 

Biscan’s scoreless game came to an end after Hinojosa hit an opposite field single to tie the game at 1-1. 

Sullivan led off for COD in the bottom of the fourth and cranked an opposite-field home run that got out in a hurry. COD went down in order after that.

Charlie Martin hit a leadoff triple and eventually scored after Hinojosa hit a ground ball to bring Martin home. COD got out of the inning. 

McBrien and Fulscher both got on with no outs which made Joliet bring in Kyle Bader to pitch. COD couldn’t convert after getting three straight outs.  

Joliet had runners on first and second with two out. Joilet tried to pull off a double steal but Rogus gunned the runner out at third to end the inning. 

Pender and Sullivan started the bottom of the sixth with walks, Titone laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line to load the bases with no outs. Rogus found himself in a full count but flew out to the first baseman. Morgan walked on four straight pitches to bring Pender home to steal the lead at 3-2. McBrien hit a soft chopper right back at the pitcher that led into a 1-2-3 double play. 

Strode led off with a walk for JJC, Martin moved Strode over with a sac bunt. Biscan struck out Tarrant and Isaiah Rhoads to end the inning. 

Fulscher flew out to second to start the bottom of the seventh. Chaltin flew out in foul territory where Rhodes laid out and caught it for the second out. Kleinsasser joined Sullivan by hitting a home run to center field to widen the lead to 4-2. 

Biscan’s outing was over after the seventh, and Kyle Boma came in to pitch. Boma made Mason Heilzter fly out to left field for the first out. Jaden Jackson walked and Carrera got hit by a pitch. The bat after, Hinojosa got walked to load the bases. Boma got out of the inning only letting up one run (4-3).

“Coming in against JJC, they’re kind of our rivals, so they always put up a great fight,” Biscan said. “It’s awesome to have that extra little competitiveness against them,.” 

Titone led off with a fly ball to left field. Andrew Hazelton pinched a hit for Rogus and grounded out to first. Morgan got out to end the inning. 

Matthew Betancourt subbed in behind the plate at the top of the ninth. Jimmy Traficanti came into the game to try and get the save. 

Traficanti’s first batter of his outing was Laurence. Laurence was in a full count, and on the 6th pitch of the at bat Laurence went down to get a curveball that got caught up in the wind and hit it off the scoreboard to tie the game at 4-4. Traficanti got two outs, but runners were on second and third. Traficanti got out of the inning after a dropped third strikeout on a full count pitch. 

Danny O’Maily came in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth for the Wolves. 

McBrien hit a deep fly ball to right field for the first out of the inning. Fulshcer and Chaltin couldn’t get anything past the infield to end the ninth inning to go into extras. 

Traficanti came back out for the top of the tenth. Traficanti got two quick outs from a ground ball and a flyout. Martin got hit by a pitch to bring Laurence up. Traficanti jammed Laurence with a fastball that made its way to left field, but was caught by Pender, ending the inning. 

Kleinsasser led off in the bottom of the tenth. Kleinsasser got walked after working a full count. Kleinsasser got to second after a wild pitch during Pender’s at-bat. Pender walked to put runners at first at second with no outs to bring up Sullivan. Sullivan struck out on a hit and run to put runners on third and second. The Wolves intentionally walked Titone to load the bases to bring up Betancourt. Betancourt, who was struggling with a hamstring injury, struck out for the second out of the inning. Morgan had a chance to win it but flew out to the deep part of the outfield. 

Traficanti continued to push for COD. Traficanti retired the first batter then walked the second. Traficanti got help from Morgan in center for the second out of the inning and got the third out by himself after a slow chopper back towards him.

McBrien flew out to deep center, Fulscher flew out to right field. Chaltin lined a ball into right field and turned a single into a hustle double. Zach Glidewell came in to pinch hit for Kleinsasser. Glidewell hit a soft grounder to third, the third baseman rushed it and made a bad throw that Rhoads had to block, Glidewell was safe at first, Chaltin never stopped around third and kept coming home for a play at the plate. Chaltin beat the throw home and was called safe for the walk off win. 

“I was just making sure to put a ball in play to make sure Chalt could score, and it’s exactly what happened honestly,” Glidewell said.

Head coach Pat Leahy shared his thoughts on the thrilling win. “We talk a lot about showing up everyday, no matter what happened the day before. We’ve been in a little bit of a tough stretch, [I] expected the guys to show up today, locked in, it’s obviously a rivalry game so I expected it to be high energy the whole time,” said head coach Pat Leahy. 

College of DuPage’s next home game is against Prairie State College on April 30 at 3 p.m.