(LEBANON, Ill., March 25)—The McKendree College baseball team continued its recent offensive surge by posting 35 runs Sunday at home in a doubleheader sweep of Missouri Valley College. The Bearcats rolled to a 22-16 victory in game one before taking the nightcap, 13-9.

 

McKendree rapped out 31 hits in the doubleheader and extended its win streak to five games. The Bearcats are now 12-11-1 overall and will be on the road Monday for a non-conference doubleheader at Culver-Stockton College. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

 

The 22 runs scored in the first game by McKendree matched its highest output in more than two years. The last time the Bearcats scored 22 runs in a game came back on March 6, 2005 in a 22-3 home victory against The Franciscan University (now known as Ashford University). In addition, McKendree has reached double-digits in runs in each of last four contests.

 

Junior outfielder Brandon Melliere (Red Bud, Ill./Red Bud) (Red Bud, Ill./Red Bud) and sophomore catcher Joe Dickman (Alhambra, Ill./Highland) (Alhambra, Ill./Highland) each had seven runs batted in during Sunday’s doubleheader to lead the way for McKendree. Melliere belted a pair of home runs and had all seven RBI in the first game, while Dickman drove in four runs in the opener and added three more in the nightcap.

 

In game one, Missouri Valley (13-13) scored a run in the top of the first before McKendree responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Melliere hit the first of his two home runs on the day, a two-run shot to left-center field, to give the Bearcats a 2-1 advantage. Senior first baseman Kevin Wilkins (Kinmundy, Ill./South Central) (Kinmundy, Ill./South Central) later added a two-run double to extend the McKendree lead to three runs.

 

The second inning featured 19 runs scored, with eight of them coming from the Vikings as Missouri Valley quickly regained a 9-4 lead. McKendree then sent 14 batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning. The Bearcats collected 11 runs to take the lead back at 15-9. After the first two runners reached base, Melliere blasted a three-run home run to help McKendree close the gap to 9-7.

 

Dickman followed with a double, and sophomore first baseman Craig Session (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) hit a two-run homer to right field that tied the game at 9-9. Junior outfielder Mike Harrison (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) collected a two-run double that gave the Bearcats the lead for good, 11-9. Melliere added a two-out RBI single and Dickman followed with a three-run home run to close out the scoring in the second.

 

The Bearcats tacked on six more runs in the third inning to increase its lead to 21-9. Harrison brought home the first run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Junior infielder Chris Bellm (Highland, Ill./Highland) (Highland, Ill./Highland) stepped up and delivered a two-run single that pushed the Bearcats’ advantage to 18-9. Melliere brought home the fourth run of the inning when he grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Dickman picked up an RBI as he reached on an error. Session provided the final run of the frame with an RBI single to center field.

 

Missouri Valley rallied with six runs in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 21-14. The Bearcats scored their final run of game one in the sixth inning when junior infielder Todd Harpstrite (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) hit a solo home run for a 22-14 advantage. The Vikings scored twice in the seventh inning to account for the final margin.

 

Melliere finished with three hits and seven RBI, while Dickman had four RBI. Freshman infielder Adam Davinroy (Shiloh, Ill./Althoff Catholic) (Swansea, Ill./Althoff Catholic) chipped in with three hits, while Bellm, Harpstrite and senior outfielder Kenny Weston (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) (Dupo, Ill./Dupo) each scored three runs for McKendree.

 

Senior left-hander Shawn Oertwig (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) (Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia) pitched three innings of relief to pick up his first win of the season. He scattered four hits with four walks and a strikeout.

 

McKendree, which had 18 hits in the first game, carried its firepower into the second game by scoring seven runs in the first inning. The Bearcats loaded the bases with nobody out before Dickman doubled down the left-field line to score two runs. Session then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, and sophomore infielder Thomas Rose (Highland, Ill./Highland) (Highland, Ill./Highland) posted an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-0.

 

Harpstrite followed with a two-run double to right-center field to give the Bearcats a six-run cushion. Bellm, who started the inning by drawing a walk, closed out the scoring with an RBI single.

 

Missouri Valley tied the game with two runs in the second inning and five more in the third before McKendree regained the lead for good. A sacrifice fly by Bellm in the bottom of the third gave the Bearcats an 8-7 lead. Weston hit a two-run home run in the fourth for a 10-7 lead before McKendree added three insurance runs in the fifth inning. Harrison led off with a single and promptly stole second base. He advanced to third on a single by Davinroy and scored when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. The Bearcats’ final run was scored on a Vikings’ error.

 

In the sixth inning, Missouri Valley threatened by scoring two runs and getting the tying run to the plate. However, junior Tyler Mattmiller (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) came on in relief for McKendree and recorded the final out of the frame. Mattmiller then retired the Vikings in the seventh inning to collect his first save of the year.

 

Making his first varsity appearance of the season, sophomore right-hander Coltin Cunningham (Petersburg, Ill./Porta) (Petersburg, Ill./Porta) earned the win in relief for McKendree. Cunningham gave up four hits over 3 2/3 innings with three walks and two strikeouts.

 

Dickman finished with three hits, while Weston, Rose, Harpstrite and Harrison each added two in the 13-hit attack.