The Prairie Stars opened the finale with two runs in the first inning. Tommy Atkinson doubled to right field and Kody Morton followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring Atkinson. Noah Caceres added another run with a single to left field. UIS struggled to settle in on the mound early, allowing Truman to take a 3-2 lead in the first. Richie Snider came in to pitch and struck out two batters, getting UIS out of the inning and keeping the game within reach.
In the second inning, UIS tied the game. Drew Ezard doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Corey Boyette’s sacrifice fly allowed Ezard to score.
After quiet innings, the Prairie Stars regained the lead in the sixth with three runs. Caceres hit a double and scored on a single by Brian Daker. Drew Ezard then hit a two-run homer, bringing the score to 6-3. The Bulldogs got one run back in the bottom of that inning on a fielding error.
In the eighth inning, Tommy Atkinson hit a solo home run to left field, extending the UIS lead to three runs. Truman responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Prairie Stars maintained a 7-5 lead. Isaac Graf closed it with two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth.
Jaden Mathon and Brayden Mayer both appeared on the mound in the first inning before an out was recorded. Richie Snider delivered five innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and striking out nine, and earned the win after UIS took the lead in the sixth inning. Isaac Graf closed out the game, throwing four innings with five strikeouts and allowing one earned run on three hits for the save.
Atkinson contributed significantly with two hits, a home run and a double, and drove in one run while scoring twice. Ezard was a major offensive force, collecting three hits, including a home run and a double, resulting in two RBIs and two runs scored.
UIS holds an overall record of 24-8 and is 13-2 in the conference. Truman stands at 9-23 overall with a 3-16 conference record.
“It wasn’t our cleanest game, but we found a way to win,” said head coach Chris Rodriguez. “Richie was spectacular coming in relief – bases loaded, no outs, and he leaves them stranded in the first. He gave us some length and kept us in it. Big swings from Noah, Drew, and Tommy allowed us to extend the lead. We got the ball to Isaac, and he finished the job.”
Up Next
UIS will take the field against Missouri-St. Louis on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. in St. Louis, continuing its current road stretch. The team will then travel to Rolla, Mo., next weekend to face Missouri S&T.
