NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team wrapped up the weekend with a Sunday split, defeating Tiffin 4-3 before falling to Rockhurst 11-1 Sunday evening at ES Rose Park.

Junior Max Biedrzycki (Bolingbrook, Ill.) earned his first win of the season in game one. He tossed five innings of shutout ball and allowed just two hits while striking out eight. Junior Richard England (Centerville, Iowa) picked up the save by pitching a perfect ninth inning.

The Prairie Stars struggled at the plate on Sunday, going 6-for-51 on the day with just two extra base hits.

The Prairie Stars struck first in the second inning. After third baseman Calvin Jimenez (New York, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, shortstop Kyle Hunsinger drew a walk to bring home Mark Self (Algonquin, Ill.).

UIS added to the lead in the fourth. After Self drew one of his three walks in the game, junior Will Stanka (Austin, Texas) drove the ball deep to left center for an RBI-triple. Two batters later, Jimenez drove him home with a double down the left field line.

Senior Alex Bradley made it a four-run game in the next frame when he plated second baseman Adam Warda (Skokie, Ill.) with an RBI-single through the right side. Warda led off the inning with a walk and then swiped second base.

The score remained 4-0 until the bottom of the seventh. Tiffin loaded the bases with nobody out and eventually tallied three runs to make the score 4-3. The Dragon's Alex Hartley drove in a pair of runs with a two-out, two-RBI single.

The UIS bullpen slammed the door shut in the final two innings, facing the minimum as UIS held on for the 4-3 victory.

In the second game, the Rockhurst bats came alive and the Hawks scored early and often. Junior Chance Simpson (Lewistown, Ill.) was tagged for seven runs as he was hit with the loss. Rockhurst scored four in the second, three in the third and four more in the fourth.

UIS got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth when junior Gabriel Acevedo (Portage, Wis.) scored on a wild pitch. Acevedo delivered the only two hits of the game for the Prairie Stars.

The Prairie Stars are back in action next weekend for a four-game series against Truman State. The games will be held at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., home of the Gateway Grizzlies.