University of Illinois Springfield baseball pitcher Colton Hale joined an exclusive club on Friday, and the team moved one game closer to a possible third straight GLVC Tournament championship game appearance. The Prairie Stars won their second-round contest against Maryville by a 12-2 margin.
 
Hale earned his tenth win of the season, becoming just the second UIS pitcher to hit double-digit wins in one year. He joins Andrew Dean who accomplished the feat twice in 2018 and 2019. Hale was dominant in his start, facing the minimum through four innings and not allowing a hit in that span. UIS was able to jump out to an 8-0 lead before Maryville finally crossed the plate twice in the fifth inning.
 
Ian Delleman and Eddie Wilkins completed the game for UIS. The three pitchers allowed just four hits and two walks in eight innings, and combined to strike out 11 batters.
 
Offensively, UIS needed just three batters to take the lead for good, and it finished the first inning with four runs. The Prairie Stars jumped out to a big lead with two more in the second and fifth innings, and then won by the run-rule with four more in the seventh and eighth.
 
Alderman led the offense by going three-for-four with four runs and four RBI, and he hit a two-run homer in the game. UIS had five doubles in the game, including two by Zion Pettigrew. Brand Vanaman had two runs and two RBI, and Asher Bradd, Brandon Bannon, and Pettigrew all scored twice. Anthony Deconcilis tied Alderman with a team-high three hits.
 
UIS improves to 41-8 on the season. The Prairie Stars will face the winner of tomorrow's Drury/Indianapolis game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. UIS will have two opportunities to defeat one of those teams and advance to the title contest.