LOUISVILLE, KY --- Following late game heroics yesterday, the Prairie Stars used more late game scoring to take game three of the series over Bellarmine before ending the series with a 9-8 loss. The Prairie Stars (21-15, 11-5) now sit in second place of the GLVC standings, one-game ahead of the Knights (23-15, 10-6).
GAME ONE: ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 4, BELLARMINE 2
The Knights got on the board first in the opening game of the day, scoring a run in the third inning off
Adam Gregory (7-2). The Prairie Stars were held off the board for the first six innings, as they recorded just four hits through the first six innings.
In the seventh, down 1-0,
Trey Hannam opened the inning with a single up the middle and moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt that went into right field. Hannam then came into score on a single from
Myles Hann, tying the game at one. UIS nearly took the lead, leaving the bases loaded.
UIS took their first lead of the game in the eighth, as
Cole Taylor came into score on a double from
Drew Harper. Following that, the first batter of the bottom half of the inning homered to tie the game at two for the Knights.
With the bats now rolling, UIS didn't slow down, as
Troy Cantu started the rally with a one-out single to center.
John Sechen reached on a bunt single and Cantu came into score a batter later on a single from
Austin Muench, giving UIS a 3-2 lead. Sechen then increased the lead to 4-2, scoring on a fielders' choice from Taylor.
Up 4-2, a leadoff single for the Knights started the inning and a one-out walk put the tying run on base, but Austin Kapusinski finished the game with a strikeout and fly out to end the game.
Gregory picked up his seventh win of the season, which puts him in a tie for the most in the GLVC. The southpaw threw eight innings, a season-high, and allowed eight hits while striking out eight, one shy of his season-high. Kapusinski picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless inning of work, striking out one.
Muench,
Michael Rothmund, and Hannam all picked up two hits a piece as four different players drove in a run for UIS.
GAME TWO: BELLARMINE 9, ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 8
Unlike game one, UIS got the bats rolling early, plating four runs in the top of the first inning. Muench began the game with a double but the scoring started on a two-RBI double from Hannam, who then came into score on a single from Hann.
Ben Schanding plated Hann to push the score to 4-0 after the top of the first.
Bellarmine responded with three runs in the bottom half, but UIS limited the damage with a strikeout to end the inning.
After keeping hold of the lead in the first, UIS came and scored three more runs in the second, all with two outs. Taylor started the two-out rally with a single and scored on a double from Rothmund. After a walk to Hannam, both runners came in to score on a double from Hann to give UIS a 7-3 lead.
The Knights cut the deficit to 7-4 in the fourth but UIS came back with a run in the fifth on an RBI-single from
Kenny Hansen, driving in Hann.
Down 8-4, the Knights scored three in the fifth inning to push the score to 8-7 and then tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on a two-out RBI single. In the seventh, UIS went down in order before back-to-back walks to Bellarmine started a rally, which ended with a single up the middle, giving the Knights a 9-8 win and series split.
Brayden Jensen got the start for UIS on the mound and threw 5.2 innings and surrendered eight runs, all earned while striking out five.
R.D. Lutze look the loss, throwing one inning and giving up one run on two hits and two walks.
Hann went 3-for-3 in the second game with two doubles, three RBI, and three runs. Rothmund had two hits himself with two runs and an RBI. The 2-3-4-5 hitters for UIS all scored twice in the final game of the series.
UIS will return home to face Truman State on Tuesday for a non-conference game with the first pitch set for 3:00 PM at the UIS Baseball Field.
