(LEBANON, Ill., April 12)—The McKendree University baseball team won both ends of an American Midwest Conference doubleheader Saturday at Harris-Stowe State University. The Bearcats won the opener 6-4 before rolling to a 10-0 decision in six innings in the nightcap.
The victories push McKendree back over the .500 mark for the season at 17-16. The Bearcats are now 8-4 in AMC play. McKendree will wrap up a busy weekend on Sunday when it hosts Culver-Stockton College in a non-conference doubleheader at Hypes Field. First pitch is at 1 p.m.
Senior pitchers Adam Buehne (St. Rose, Ill./Breese Central) (St. Rose, Ill./Breese Central) and Tyler Schwierjohn (Carlyle, Ill./Carlyle) (Carlyle, Ill./Carlyle) played a key role in the Bearcats' two victories on Saturday. Buehne carried a perfect game into the sixth inning of game one and allowed just one hit in the contest. All four runs that Buehne allowed were unearned. He struck out four and walked three over six innings of work.
Schwierjohn limited Harris-Stowe to just two hits in the second game. He walked four and fanned six for his first complete game of the season.
At the plate, McKendree belted six home runs in the twinbill, including four in the second game. Junior catcher Craig Session (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) hit a three-run home run of the opener to break open a close game. Junior first baseman Calvin O'Rear (DuBois, Ill./Nashville) (DuBois, Ill./Nashville) extended his team lead by hitting his 13th home run of the season in game two.
In game one, McKendree took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when sophomore infielder Adam Davinroy (Shiloh, Ill./Althoff Catholic) (Shiloh, Ill./Althoff Catholic) led off with a walk and came around to score on a wild pitch. The score held up until the top of the sixth inning, when the Bearcats broke the contest open. Senior outfielder Anthony Clervi (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) led off the frame with his first home run of the season to extend the McKendree lead to 2-0.
Junior outfielder Ross Willman (Greenville, Ill./Greenville) (Greenville, Ill./Greenville) walked and reached third following a ground out and wild pitch. Junior infielder Dusty Schallenberg (New Douglas, Ill./Highland) (New Douglas, Ill./Highland) dropped down a suicide squeeze bunt to score Willman for a 3-0 lead. Session stepped up later in the inning and belted his three-run round-tripper to cap the inning, putting the Bearcats in front 6-0.
Meanwhile, Buehne retired the first 15 Harris-Stowe batters he faced. Buehne lost the perfect game with a leadoff walk to the Hornets' Matt Sauve in the bottom of the sixth. Dan Healey stepped up next and broke up Buehne's no-hit bid with a single. The Hornets (9-26, 2-10 AMC) went on to score four runs in the frame to pull within 6-4. All four runs were unearned thanks in part to a pair of McKendree errors.
Senior Tyler Mattmiller (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) pitched the seventh inning to pick up his second save of the season.
After a scoreless first inning in game two, McKendree plated a run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead when Session scored on a two-out error. The Bearcats then exploded for four runs in the third inning to extend its margin to 5-0. Session opened the scoring with an RBI single. Senior outfielder Brandon Melliere (Red Bud, Ill./Red Bud) (Red Bud, Ill./Red Bud) followed with a sacrifice fly, and senior infielder Chris Bellm (Highland, Ill./Highland) (Highland, Ill./Highland) provided the key blow in the frame with a two-run home run.
O'Rear's solo home run in the fourth pushed the Bearcats' lead to 6-0 before Melliere opened the fifth with a solo shot for his third home run of the weekend. Davinroy brought home the eighth run of the contest later in the fifth inning with an RBI fielder's choice.
McKendree closed out the scoring with two runs in the sixth inning. Freshman outfielder Tyler Muren (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) blasted a solo home run to lead lead off the frame. O'Rear followed with a double, and he eventually scored on a wild pitch.
O'Rear finished with three hits, while Session, Melliere and senior infielder Todd Harpstrite (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) each added two hits.
-McK-
