SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Prairie Stars (24-18, 12-10) split with #18 University of Indianapolis (30-14, 15-7), giving them their second win over a top-30 team this season. Gabriel Acevedo hit a walk-off single in the first game, scoring another senior, Adam Warda, giving UIS a 6-5 win after leading for the majority of the game. UIS fell in the second game 13-1 to split the opening day of the series.

GAME ONE: ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 6, #18 INDIANAPOLIS 5
Going up against one of the best pitchers in the GLVC, the Prairie Stars were facing 8-0 Matthew Kaplanis, who leads the GLVC in wins. UIS didn't seem to care as Jake Redlinger opened the game with a single to center and came around to score on an RBI single from Acevedo. After stealing second, Acevedo came in on a single from Trey Hannam, giving UIS an early 2-0 lead.

UIS increased their lead to 5-0 in the third when Redlinger again began  a rally by drawing a leadoff walk. Acevedo singled and then the two pulled a double steal, leading to a two-RBI single from Hannam, giving him three RBI's on the game. Jason Galeano completed the rally with a single, scoring Austin Muench and giving UIS a five run lead.

On the mound, Jose Marin was lights out, striking out a career-high ten batters in 6.1 innings. The senior lefty scattered seven hits, giving up two earned runs, while ringing up ten batters. Gavin Collins relieved Marin in the seventh and worked out of a jam, keeping UIS with a 5-2 lead before striking out two in a scoreless eighth inning.

Up three and needing three outs, UIS turned to Richard England for the save. After a leadoff single, England retired the next two batters before walking the following two to load the bases. An 0-2 hit-by-pitch brought in the first run before a two-out two-strike single tied the game at five.

The inning ended when a UIndy baserunner attempted to come home on a pass ball but John Sechen ran it down, getting the final out at the plate.

In the bottom half of the inning, Adam Warda singled to left with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch from UIndy's best reliever. Acevedo, facing Dylan Stootsman, who is third in the GLVC in ERA, laced a single into center field, scoring Warda before being mobbed by his teammates.

After seeing a five run lead disappear, two seniors came through in the clutch, grabbing the opening game of the four-game set with the leaders of the GLVC west.

GAME TWO: #18 INDIANAPOLIS 13, ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 1
After taking a week off, Chance Simpson (4-1) returned to the mound to face the nationally ranked Greyhounds. The visitors notched a run in the first inning but Simpson limited the damage, inducing a groundout to end inning. UIndy pushed another run across in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead but UIS came right back in the bottom half.

With runners on second and third and two-outs, Sechen connected for his second hit of the game, lacing a single to right field scoring Austin Muench but Galeano was cut down at the plate to end the inning as the Greyhounds kept the lead 2-1.

UIndy would score the next 11 runs unanswered, plating five in the top of the fifth and six more in the seventh. The Prairie Stars connected for just three hits, two of which came from Sechen.

Simpson was tagged for his first loss of the season, moving his record to 4-1.

THINGS TO NOTE: UIS recognized 13 seniors on this years team: Gabriel Acevedo, Max Biedrzycki, Gavin Collins, Richard England, Matt Farrington, Kyle Hunsinger, Aaron Kuper, Jose Marin, Dan Pacha, Jake Redlinger, Chance Simpson, Ryan Walling, and Adam Warda … The Prairie Stars and UIndy will look to close the series tomorrow, pending on the weather … Games will be pushed to Sunday if necessary and will be played at UIS Baseball Field.