The Illinois Springfield baseball team split its first two games of the weekend series at Missouri-St. Louis on Friday in O'Fallon, Mo., winning game one 16-4 in seven innings before falling 7-6 in a 10-inning thriller.

GAME ONE | W, 16-4 (7 Inn.)
Illinois Springfield cruised to a 16-4 run-rule victory over UMSL in the series opener, powered by three home runs and a 15-hit performance.

The Prairie Stars jumped out early, scoring a run in the first inning. Johnny Wendling singled and advanced to third on a double by Corey Boyette. Tommy Atkinson grounded out to bring Wendling home, giving UIS a 1-0 lead.

In the third, Wendling reached on an error and Boyette singled before Atkinson launched a three-run homer to left-center, putting the Prairie Stars ahead 4-2. Wendling added a two-run homer in the fourth, scoring Kody Morton and extending the lead to 6-2. UIS kept the momentum rolling, scoring two unearned runs in the fifth and adding five more in the sixth and seventh, capped by RBIs from Chris Suchoski and Morton, to reach a final of 16-4.

"Ben gave us a good start in game one," head coach Chris Rodriguez said. "He kept us in the game and made big pitches, allowing our offense to run away with it. Johnny, Corey and Tommy in particular were putting in professional at-bats all day."

Ben Benoit pitched six strong innings, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out six. Adam Wibbenmeyer closed it out cleanly.

At the plate, Atkinson finished 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBIs, and three runs scored. Wendling added two hits, including a homer, scoring four times, and Boyette recorded three hits with a home run and double.

GAME TWO | L, 7-6 (10 Inn.)
The Prairie Stars' hot bats were not enough in game two, as UMSL rallied for a 7-6 win in 10 innings. UIS tallied 12 hits, including three doubles, but could not overcome a decisive two-run bottom of the tenth.

UMSL took a 1-0 lead in the third via a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and extended it to 3-0 in the fifth on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. UIS responded in the sixth when Parker Heistand doubled and scored on Johnny Wendling's sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit. The Prairie Stars scored two unearned runs in the seventh, and in the bottom of the ninth, Tommy Atkinson delivered a two-RBI double to tie the game at 5-5, sending the contest into extra innings.

In the 10th, Noah Caceres' RBI double put UIS ahead 6-5, but UMSL responded with two runs in the bottom half, including the game-winning run on a fielding error.

"Trey gave us a solid start in game two, and our bullpen made key pitches to keep us close," Rodriguez said. "Offensively, we grinded out tough at-bats early with nothing to show until we finally broke through in the seventh, ninth and 10th innings. We just couldn't finish it in the last inning. Unfortunately, that's how this game can go, but it's also why we love it. Being in those moments is invaluable, and we look to grow from it moving forward."

Trey Carter started for UIS, throwing 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts. Derek Huber, Brayden Mayer, Austin Loberger, and Isaac Graf appeared in relief.

Tommy Atkinson led the offense with three hits and two RBIs. Kody Morton went 5-for-5 with a run scored, and Brian Daker added two runs. Wendling contributed defensively with four assists at third base.

Up Next
The second day of the series, set to be played in Springfield, will feature a single nine-inning game with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch at UIS Baseball Field due to cold temperatures. The originally scheduled fourth game has been postponed.