(LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 5)—A gutsy pitching performance from senior right-hander Ben Dallesasse (DeKalb, IL/DeKalb) helped spark the McKendree University baseball team to a doubleheader split Saturday on the road against Bellarmine University. The Bearcats rallied for a 5-3 win in game one before the Knights rolled to a 9-0 victory in the nightcap.

Dallesasse scattered 11 hits and allowed three earned runs in going the distance for the win in the opener. He walked three and struck out two in his 126-pitch effort. Dallesasse pushed his record to 3-0 with the victory.

The split on Saturday gives McKendree an overall record of 8-15, while the Bearcats are now 4-12 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Bearcats and Knights will wrap up their four-game weekend series Sunday with another doubleheader, with first pitch scheduled for noon ET at Knights Field.

McKendree used a four-run rally in the sixth inning to take the lead in game one. Trailing 3-0 heading into the frame, the Bearcats started the inning with a single by senior shortstop Tony Kossina (Millstadt, IL/Belleville West). After moving to second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout, Kossina scored on an RBI single by senior outfielder Steven Todoschuk (Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada/Saltfleet).

The Bearcats loaded the bases with two outs when senior first baseman Jeff Tolliver (Salem, IL/Salem) stepped up and delivered a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. Freshman catcher Kyle Jackson (Hoffman, IL/Carlyle) came up next and collected a run-scoring single to plate the go-ahead run, giving McKendree its first lead of the day at 4-3.

McKendree tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning as Tolliver figured into the mix once again. Tolliver led off the frame with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jackson and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kossina then grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Tolliver with the Bearcats' final run of the contest.

From there, Dallesasse was able to shut down the Knights and preserve the win. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth, then escaped a jam in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run at second base.

In the nightcap, McKendree was shut down by Bellarmine right-hander Evan McNair, who tossed a complete-game five-hitter. Four of the five hits by the Bearcats were singles, including a pair by freshman infielder Zach Klockowski (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew). Tolliver had the lone extra-base hit for McKendree, a double in the sixth inning.

Bellarmine (10-18, 3-13 GLVC) scored three runs in the third inning, another in the fourth inning and five more in the fifth to gain the twinbill split against McKendree.