The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team combined its strong offense and starting pitching for a victory in its season opener on Friday. The Prairie Stars defeated Tusculum by a 13-5 score.
 
Colton Hale went five innings on the mound and allowed just five hits, one walk, and one run. He struck out six batters in his outing. He earned the win and is now 18-2 in his Prairie Stars career.
 
When Hale exited the game in the sixth, UIS had 13-1 advantage. Asher Bradd led the offense with four hits, four RBI, and two runs. He finished just a home run away from hitting for the cycle. Brant Vanaman had a big UIS debut with two hits, including a grand slam. Brandon Bannon had a double and triple, and scored twice. Bobby Barnard and Nick Mayerhofer both scored twice as well. Kal Younquist finished the game with a pair of RBI.
 
Tyler Horvath, Ian Delleman, Eddie Wilkins, and A.J. Golembiewski all pitched a scoreless inning of relief. UIS pitchers struck out 12 on the day.
 
UIS and Tusculum will continue their series on Saturday with a doubleheader.