(LEBANON, Ill., April 16)—The McKendree University baseball team rolled to a doubleheader sweep Wednesday at home against Brescia University. The Bearcats needed just five innings to win each contest by scores of 12-1 and 13-2.
McKendree exploded for 29 hits in the doubleheader, including 17 in the second game. The Bearcats also blasted five home runs on the day. Senior outfielder Anthony Clervi (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) had a career day in game two, belting two home runs in the fifth inning when McKendree erupted for 10 runs to close out the contest. Clervi was 3-for-3 in the game with five RBI to lead the Bearcats' attack in the nightcap.
Junior first baseman Calvin O'Rear (DuBois, Ill./Nashville) (DuBois, Ill./Nashville) hit his team-leading 14th home run of the season in game two, while senior outfielder Brandon Melliere (Red Bud, Ill./Red Bud) (Red Bud, Ill./Red Bud) and senior infielder Todd Harpstrite (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) also went deep for McKendree. The Bearcats are now 19-18 on the season and will play host to Williams Baptist College Friday at 1 p.m. in an American Midwest Conference doubleheader.
In addition to the offensive output, McKendree received strong pitching performances from juniors Cale Johnson (Greenville, Ill./Greenville) (Greenville, Ill./Greenville) and Rusty Parke (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg) (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg). Johnson allowed just two hits in game one for his sixth victory of the year. Johnson walked two batters and struck out six. Parke scattered five hits over five innings to improve to 5-2 on the season. Parke walked one and fanned four Brescia batters.
The Bearcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Sophomore infielder Adam Davinroy (Shiloh, Ill./Althoff Catholic) (Shiloh, Ill./Althoff Catholic) dropped down a leadoff bunt single before Harpstrite drilled a two-run home run to left-center field for a 2-0 McKendree lead. O'Rear followed with an infield single and eventually scored on another infield hit by Melliere.
McKendree plated six runs in the second inning to build its lead to 9-0. The Bearcats loaded the bases when Melliere opened the scoring with a two-run single. Three batters later, junior infielder Dusty Schallenberg (New Douglas, Ill./Highland) (New Douglas, Ill./Highland) stepped up with the bases full again and delivered a two-run double to left that extended the Bearcats' lead to 7-0.
Later in the frame, freshman outfielder Tyler Muren (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) capped the rally with a two-run single to center field.
In the fourth inning, McKendree added its final three runs of the contest on an RBI groundout by sophomore outfielder Ryan Meyer (Breese, Ill./Breese Central) (Breese, Ill./Breese Central) and a two-run double by junior outfielder Ross Willman (Greenville, Ill./Greenville) (Greenville, Ill./Greenville).
Harpstrite, O'Rear and Melliere each had two hits to pace the Bearcats. O'Rear also scored three times in the opener.
McKendree grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two when Melliere stepped up with runners on second and third and ripped a two-out, two-run double to the fence in left-center field. Brescia (17-23) tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning.
Melliere gave the Bearcats the lead for good in the third inning when he belted a solo home run to left field, putting McKendree on top by a 3-2 count. The Bearcats were able to close out the day by scoring 10 runs in the fifth inning, sending 12 batters to the plate in the process. McKendree collected eight of their 17 hits in the frame, including a trio of home runs.
Meyer started the rally when he was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Clervi blasted the first of his two round-trippers in the inning to give the Bearcats a 5-2 lead. An RBI single by Davinroy put McKendree in front by four runs. After Harpstrite singled, O'Rear lifted a three-run home run inside the left-field foul pole to give the Bearcats a 9-2 advantage.
Freshman Brad Dunnigan (Smithton, IL/Freeburg) (Smithton, Ill./Freeburg) posted a run-scoring single and Clervi closed out the game when he blasted a three-run home run over the left-field fence.
Dunnigan and Harpstrite matched Clervi with three hits, while O'Rear and Melliere each collected three RBI in game two.
-McK-
