The No. 5 University of Illinois Springfield baseball team came up two innings shy of a GLVC Tournament Championship on Sunday in St. Charles, Mo. The Prairie Stars fell to No. 11 Lindenwood by an 8-6 margin.
 
UIS took an early lead with three runs in the first inning. The Prairie Stars loaded the bases and got two-out singles by Austin Alderman and Chris Mathieu for a 3-0 lead. A solo homer by Chris Monroe in the third put the Prairie Stars up 4-0. Lindenwood got within one at 4-3 after four innings, and both bullpens kept the score at that mark until the eighth.
 
In the top of the eighth, UIS added two more runs. Monroe played another big part in that rally with a RBI double, and he then scored on a single by Mathieu.
 
The Prairie Stars could not hold on to the 6-3 advantage though. Lindenwood got three hits and took advantage of two walks and a hit by pitch in the bottom of eighth for a game-winning five runs. The big plays were a sacrifice fly that gave the Lions a 7-6 lead, followed by a single that scored an insurance run.
 
Monroe and Mathieu each had two hits and two RBI in the game. Monroe also scored twice, as did Kal Youngquist. Alderman also finished with two RBI. Chris Leff was the most effective pitcher, going three innings in relief and allowing just two hits.
 
UIS falls to 37-6 on the season. The field for the NCAA Division II National Tournament will be announced later this month, and the Prairie Stars will find out their seed for the Midwest Regional Tournament.