SAUGET, Ill. – The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team dropped a pair of games to Truman State, 5-2 and 7-4, Saturday afternoon at GCS Ballpark.

Senior Alex Bradley (Peoria, Ill.) led the Prairie Stars on the day, going 4-for-8 at the plate with a double, a home run and three runs-batted-in. His three-run home run in game two got the Prairie Stars back in the game as the team trailed by only one going into the final inning.

Junior Christopher Irwin got the start in game one for UIS. He pitched 5.1 innings and gave up five hits and one earned run.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the first inning, taking a 2-0 lead on two hits and a UIS error. In the bottom half of the frame, the Prairie Stars got a run back. Bradley led off with a double over the center fielder's head. The very next batter, junior Adam Warda (Skokie, Ill.) ripped a double down the left field line to drive in Bradley.

The score remained 2-1 in favor of the Bulldogs until the fifth inning. After back-to-back hits put runners on second and third with nobody out, Irwin pitched out of the inning, allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly from Truman shortstop Blake Deaton.

The Bulldogs added another run in the sixth on a hit and another UIS error. The Prairie Stars again responded in the bottom half when junior Gabriel Acevedo connected on a home run over the left field fence to make the score 4-2. It was the first big fly of the season for the team.

Another sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth gave the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead, which they held for the win.

Chance Simpson pitched the final 3.2 innings, striking out three while allowing two hits and a run.

In the second game of the day, reigning GLVC pitcher of the week Matt Farrington (Orland Park, Ill.) got the start.

After a perfect first inning from Farrington, junior Calvin Jimenez (New York, N.Y.) led off the game for UIS with a triple over the center fielder's head. The Prairie Stars couldn't bring him home as he was stranded at third.

Truman struck first in the top of the third with a pair of runs. The Bulldogs put runners on second and third with a hit-by-pitch and a double. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, a balk allowed the leadoff runner to score giving Truman a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, the visitors scratched across a second run on a sacrifice fly.

The Prairie Stars threatened to score in the bottom half when Jimenez picked up his second hit of the day, this time a single through the left side. An errant throw on a pickoff attempt allowed Jimenez to advance to second and then a balk moved him to third. A strikeout ended the threat a batter later.

UIS again put runners in scoring position in the fifth. Freshman Michael Rothmund shot a double over the left fielder's head with one out. A sacrifice bunt from Todd Phelps moved him over to third with two outs. After Jimenez walked to put runners on the corners, a groundout ended the threat with the Bulldogs holding a 2-0 lead.

Truman extended its lead with a pair of runs in the sixth. Back-to-back hits to lead of the frame scored the visitor's third run of the game. After the runner stole second and third, a groundout drove him home to make the score 4-0.

The Prairie Stars turned the game around in the bottom half of the frame. Consecutive hits from Acevedo and designated hitter John Schram put runners on the corners with nobody out. Bradley stepped up in the next at-bat, driving a ball over the wall in right-center field to make it a 4-3 game.

In the final inning, the first five Truman hitters reached base. The Bulldogs used three hits and three hit-by-pitches to open the game up with three more runs, increasing their lead to four, 7-3.

The Prairie Stars got a run back in the bottom half but it was not enough as Truman took game two of the series, 7-4.

Games three and four of the series are set to begin tomorrow at GCS Ballpark. Game three is slated to begin at 12 p.m.