The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team remained perfect on its home field this season after sweeping Missouri-St. Louis in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday. The Prairie Stars won by scores of 8-4 and 12-4.
 
In the opener, Missouri-St. Louis scored four times in the top of the fourth to tie the game at four apiece. The Prairie Stars wasted no time in answered, scoring the winning runs in the bottom half of the inning. Hunter Phelps started the rally with a one-out double, and then scored the game-winning run. Brandon Bannon and Zion Pettigrew also drove in runs in the inning.
 
Matt Blaney won the game in relief after throwing 1 1/3 innings and allowing just one hit. Mason Coon got the final six out without allowing a runner, including four straight strikeouts at one point. Offensively, Asher Bradd and Nick Mayerhofer had two hits. Mayerhofer and Phelps each scored twice, and Bannon drove in two runs.
 
Game two saw a similar theme with Missouri-St. Louis having a big fourth inning, with the Prairie Stars responding right away. This time, UIS led 6-0 until the Tritons scored four times in the fourth. UIS answered with a five-run inning to pull away for good.
 
Eddie Wilkins earned the win on the mound, going two innings and not allowing a hit. Luke Fitton, Tyler Horvath, and Quinn Gudaitis combined to the pitch the final three innings, and allowed just one hit. Gudaitis struck out the side in the seventh to end the game.
 
Bradd finished the game with four hits, two runs, and two RBI. Kal Youngquist had a team-high three RBI. Bannon and Mayerhofer both scored twice as well, and Mayerhofer and Anthony Deconcilis each had two RBI.
 
UIS improves to 20-6 on the season, including 12-0 at home. The Prairie Stars are now 32-3 at the UIS Baseball Field over the last two years.
 
The Prairie Stars are off this weekend, and they will return to the field on April 8-10 for a four-game home series against Southern Indiana.