The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team needed a dramatic ninth-inning rally to extend its winning streak on Friday at the UIS Baseball Field. The Prairie Stars scored four times in the ninth for an 11-10 win over Indianapolis in game one, and then captured the second game by a 20-2 margin.
 
UIS trailed 10-7 going into the bottom of the ninth in the first game. Chris Monroe started the rally with a double, followed by a Zach Speaker homer to right center that got the Prairie Stars within one. Ruben Markham got another rally started with a single, and the Prairie Stars loaded the bases after Brandon Bannon walked and Dylan Gilbert had a bunt base hit. Joe LaCivita tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and Nick Mayerhofer had a walk-off double to complete the comeback.
 
Speaker finished the first game with three hits, three RBI, and two runs. Markham also had three hits, two runs, and two RBI. John Sechen hit a homer, had two hits, two runs, and two RBI. Bannon and Mayerhofer each had one run and one RBI.
 
Trent Sidwell earned the win after collecting one out to get UIS out of a jam in the top of the ninth.
 
In the second game, UIS's offense exploded for 19 hits, and scored five or more runs in six of its at-bats. Mayerhofer had five hits, six RBI, and four runs. He had a homer and two doubles in the game. Sechen hit a grand slam, and Speaker also had a homer. Bannon scored four times and had three hits, and Gilbert scored three times.
 
Andrew Dean is now 9-0 on the year after getting the win. He pitched five innings, struck out 11, and allowed just two hits and two runs. Colton Thompson and Gunnar Kay each pitched a scoreless inning of relief work.
 
UIS is now 32-11-1 on the season, and it has won 12 straight games. The Prairie Stars are 20-9 conference play. UIS and Indianapolis are scheduled to conclude their series on Saturday at the UIS Baseball Field.