EVANSVILLE, IN – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) baseball team capped off a four-game sweep against the University of Southern Indiana, recording two wins during Monday's Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) doubleheader.
 
In Game 1, UIS (21-4, 4-0) compiled a five-run surge in the seventh inning to take an 8-7 victory against Southern Indiana (8-13, 0-4). The Prairie Stars secured a 10-8 victory against the Screaming Eagles in Game 2.
 
UIS is the first team in 13 tries to sweep Southern Indiana in a four-game series in Evansville. Southern Indiana last took a four-game sweep at home to Truman State University in 2015.
 
The Prairie Stars are currently ranked No. 25 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) NCAA Division II poll. UIS is also tied for third in the latest NCBWA NCAA Division II Midwest Region rankings.
 
GAME 1: UIS 8, SOUTHERN INDIANA 7
"Our guys showed a lot of fight to come back to steal Game 1," UIS coach Chris Ramirez said. "It was truly a team win as many guys stepped up to spark that comeback."
 
Michael Rothmund went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a two-run single. Jack Schaaf finished 2-for-3 with a double. Cole Taylor added a two-run double and John Sechen cracked a two-run single. The Prairie Stars also received singles from Ryan Dufrene and Zach Speaker, rounding out their eight hits.
 
Southern Indiana's Jacob Fleming drove in four runs, including two on a double. Bryce Krizan finished 3-for-4. Drake McNamara, Buddy Johnson and Brodie Brown each contributed singles. Southern Indiana collected seven hits.
 
Nick Alvarado (1-0) captured the win. He struck out a batter and gave up an unearned run on one hit in one inning. Cam Zunkel picked up his fourth save of the season. He retired each of the three batters he faced, including striking out one. Brayden Jensen started for the Prairie Stars. He fanned three batters and yielded six unearned runs on six hits in three and two-thirds innings. R.D. Lutze fired one and one-third innings and recorded a strikeout. He retired each of the four batters he faced.
 
Tyler Hagedorn (1-2) took the loss. He faced two batters, issued a walk and surrendered two runs on one hit. Austin Krizan started for the Screaming Eagles. He punched out four batters, allowed two walks and gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits in six and one-third innings. Nick Coudret faced two batters and gave up a walk and a hit. Dalton Lewis got the one batter he faced to ground into a double play.
 
During the top of the third, Schaaf knocked in Mason Coon on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt. UIS took a 3-0 lead when Rothmund connected for a two-run single.
 
In the bottom half of the inning, Fleming sent in Krizan on a sacrifice bunt.
 
The Screaming Eagles plated five runs in the fourth. Nick Gobert scored after Sam Griggs reached on an error. Brodie Brown and Krizan delivered RBI singles on consecutive at bats. Southern Indiana pulled ahead to a 6-3 lead when Fleming produced a two-run double.
 
Fleming drove in a run during the sixth after reaching on an error.
 
The Prairie Stars strung together a five-run rally in the seventh. Taylor belted a two-run double, Rothmund smacked an RBI double and Sechen singled in two runs.
 
GAME 2: UIS 10, SOUTHERN INDIANA 8
"Our offense did just enough early in the second game for our bullpen and defense to hold on."
 
Chris Mathieu went 3-for-5 with a double. Sechen finished 2-for-5 with an RBI double and RBI single. Kenny Hansen went 2-for-5 with a two-run single. Schaaf, Taylor, Myles Hann and Troy Cantu also contributed singles. The Prairie Stars tallied 11 hits.
 
McNamara produced a two-run double and a run-scoring single, going 3-for-5. Ethan Hunter finished 3-for-5 with a triple. Brodie Brown went 2-for-3. The Screaming Eagles also received singles from Fleming, Buddy Johnson and Logan Brown. Southern Indiana delivered 11 hits.
 
Sam Geraci (1-0) secured the win. He struck out one batter and gave up two runs on two hits in one inning. Colton Hale recorded his first save of the season. He fanned one batter and allowed zero runs on one hit in one-third of an inning. Gunner Kay got the start for UIS. He tallied one strikeout, walked three batters and issued four runs (three earned) on seven hits in three and one-third inning. Coon punched out a batter, gave up a walk and surrendered zero runs in one-third of an inning. Austen Kapusinski struck out a batter, allowed three walks and surrendered an unearned run in one inning. Alec Altmeyer recorded two strikeouts, issued two walks and conceded one run on one hit in three innings.
 
Chase Partain (0-1) was hit with the loss. He fanned three batters, issued two walks and surrendered nine runs (four earned) on nine hits in three innings. Nick Gobert came in for six innings of relief. He punched out eight batters, allowed a walk and yielded an unearned run on two hits.
 
During the first, Sechen doubled in a run and Hansen cracked a two-run single. The Prairie Stars led the Screaming Eagles 3-0.
 
During the bottom half of the inning, Gobert knocked in Fleming on a sacrifice bunt.
 
Hann scored on a passed ball in the second. Sechen connected for a run-scoring single. Cantu and Taylor scored after Nick Stokowski reached on a fielding error, giving the Prairie Stars a 7-1 lead.
 
Hunter ripped an RBI single in the bottom of the second.
 
During the third, Taylor contributed an RBI single and Schaaf scored on a throwing error later in in the inning. The Prairie Stars led 9-2.
 
McNamara provided a two-run double in the fourth.
 
Schaaf gave UIS a 10-4 lead after producing an RBI groundout in the fifth.
 
During the bottom of the fifth, Brodie Brown scored on a wild pitch and Spenser Deom scored on a balk, cutting Southern Indiana's deficit to 10-6.
 
Deom knocked in Johnson on a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
 
Trailing by three runs in the ninth, McNamara singled in a run. Hale fanned the final batter to close out the sweep.
 
"Anytime you can take four games in the GLVC, it's a good weekend but especially on the road against a program like Southern Indiana."
 
UP NEXT
The Prairie Stars host the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) (21-6) on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the UIS Baseball Field. UIS then welcomes Robert Morris University-Springfield (1-10) at 2 p.m. at the UIS Baseball Field.