The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team picked up right where they left off in 2020. The Prairie Stars had 16 hits and 11 runs in a season-opening 11-2 win over Hillsdale.
 
Chris Mathieu broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth with a solo homer. That sparked a five-run inning that chased the Hillsdale starter. The Prairie Stars scored four runs off the bullpen over the next three innings to pull away.
 
Blake Begner was the winner on the mound, throwing five innings and allowing five hits and two runs. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter. Rece Finck, Seth Masters, Cameron Leff, and Nathan Righi all threw a scoreless inning of relief work.
 
Mathieu finished the game with three hits, two runs, and a RBI. Austin Alderman and Bobby Barnard also had three hits, and Barnard drove in a team-high three RBI. Kal Youngquist and Nick Mayerhofer each had two runs, and Zion Pettigrew and Mayerhofer had two RBI apiece. Pettigrew and Monroe each collected a double.
 
UIS and Hillsdale continue their series tomorrow with a doubleheader at 11 a.m.