In the first game, McKendree’s offense set the tone early, totaling 10 hits and two home runs. The Bearcats struck in the second inning with a series of singles to take a 3-0 lead, while UIS stranded three runners through the first two innings.
McKendree added two more runs in the fourth, capitalizing on wild pitches to extend the lead to 5-0. Two solo home runs in the fifth pushed the margin to 7-0. Corey Boyette recorded a late hit for UIS, but the Prairie Stars were unable to generate offense in the shutout loss.
Senior Mark DeCicco started for UIS, pitching four innings with five strikeouts and taking the loss to fall to 6-2. Zach O’Donnell threw one inning in relief, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out two. Trey Carter followed with two strong innings, giving up just one hit and one walk with two strikeouts.
Boyette led UIS offensively with three hits and a stolen base.
UIS responded in a big way in the second game, erupting for 17 runs on 17 hits, including five home runs, while limiting McKendree to two hits.
The Prairie Stars opened the scoring in the second inning, stringing together multiple singles to take an early 4-0 lead.
In the third, UIS broke the game open with three home runs, as Kody Morton, Jesse Contreras and Tommy Atkinson combined for eight runs in the inning to extend the lead to 12-0.
UIS continued to add on over the next two innings, highlighted by Morton’s second home run of the game and a two-run homer from Noah Caceres, pushing the lead to 17-0.
McKendree scored its lone run in the sixth, but the Prairie Stars closed out the 17-1 victory.
Graham Kasey delivered a dominant start, holding McKendree hitless into the sixth inning. He finished with 5 2/3 innings pitched, allowing one hit and one earned run while striking out seven and issuing no walks to earn his fourth win of the season. Adam Wibbenmeyer recorded one out in relief, Brayden Mayer added 2/3 of an inning, and Clayton Johnson closed the game, making a great play at first base to record the final out.
Morton led the offense with three hits, including two home runs and four RBIs. Contreras, Caceres and Atkinson also homered as part of the Prairie Stars’ 17-hit performance.
UIS moves to 32-17 overall and 20-11 in GLVC play, while McKendree falls to 22-27 and 14-17 in the conference. The regular season finale is set for noon on Saturday, May 2, followed by Senior Day recognition for 18 players.
