The University of Illinois Springfield baseball program won its home opener on Saturday afternoon with a 19-8 victory over Saginaw valley State.
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UIS led 5-3 after six innings, and then broke the game open with 14 runs in the seventh and eighth. The Prairie Stars finished the day with 14 hits, and they drew 12 walks and four hit-by-pitches.
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Bobby Barnard led the team with four hits, and he reached bases in five of his six plate appearances.
Brandon Bannon had four RBI, and
Zion Pettigrew,
Kal Youngquist,
Brayden Gorecki, and
Anthony Deconcilis all had three runners batted in. Three runs were scored by Bannon, Pettigrew, and Youngquist. UIS hit four homers by Bannon, Pettigrew, Youngquist, and Deconcilis.
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Cameron Zunkel earned the win after throwing two innings of relief.
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UIS improves to 5-3 on the season. The Prairie Stars and Saginaw Valley will play a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 11 a.m.
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