The No. 6 University of Illinois Springfield baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep on its home opener on Friday afternoon at the UIS Baseball Field. The Prairie Stars defeated Purdue Northwest by scores of 9-4 and 5-1.
 
UIS needed a late comeback to win the first game against the Pride. Purdue Northwest had a 3-0 lead after five innings, and still led 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh. The Pride went to their bullpen at that point, and UIS took advantage with one run in the seventh and a seven-run outburst in the eighth inning.
 
The Prairie Stars had just three hits in their final two at-bats, but scored the eight runs after six walks and three hit batters.  Nick Mayerhofer had a two-run single in the eighth to put the Prairie Stars up for good, and Chris Monroe had a three-run double to end the scoring for UIS.
 
Brayden Jensen picked up the win, throwing two innings of relief and allowing no runners and striking out four. Trent Sidwell helped keep the early Purdue Northwest lead down by coming in relief and getting out of a bases loaded, one-out jam. Justin Revels started the game and allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
 
Monroe had a three-hit game in the first contest, Zach Speaker and Mayerhofer both finished with two RBI, and Brandon Bannon scored twice.
 
UIS jumped out early in the second game and stayed on top after a great performance on the mound by Andrew Dean.
 
Monroe continued his hot hitting with a two-run double in the first, and Mayerhofer and Ben Schanding each had a RBI in the second inning. That was enough for Dean who threw six innings and allowed just three hits and one walk. UIS added one more run in the fifth inning, and Purdue Northwest broke the shutout against UIS's bullpen in the seventh.
 
John Sechen had two hits and walked once in three at-bats. He scored twice and had two stolen bases. Ryan Fish also had two hits in the game.
 
UIS is now 5-0 on the season, and it has outscored its opponents by a 45-19 mark in those games.