Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (ROMEOVILLE, Ill., March 30)—The McKendree University baseball team came out swinging as it claimed both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader Monday at Lewis University. The Bearcats pulled way for a 6-1 victory in the opener before rolling to a 13-6 triumph in game two.
 
The sweep lifts McKendree to 5-15 overall and 4-8 in the GLVC. The Bearcats and Flyers split their four-game weekend series, as Lewis swept past McKendree in two games Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats will wrap up a 10-game road swing – their longest of the 2015 season – with another GLVC twinbill on Wednesday at the University of Illinois Springfield. First pitch is set for noon.
 
McKendree rapped out 30 hits on the day, reaching double figures in each contest. The Bearcats registered 14 hits in the opener before pounding out 16 more in the second game. In addition, the 13 runs scored in the nightcap marks a season-high for the Bearcats.
 
Senior outfielder Kyle Rutledge (Bloomington, IL/Normal) and freshman outfielder Brad Groleau (Peru, IL/St. Bede Academy) led the offensive onslaught for McKendree with six hits each in the doubleheader. Groleau had four hits in game two – including a pair of doubles – while Rutledge added three hits in each contest. Sophomore first baseman Zach Klockowski (Tinley Park, IL/Andrew) provided three hits and five RBI on the day as sophomore infielder Tyson Boehne (Carlyle, IL/Carlyle) had four hits and drove in four runs against the Flyers.
 
In the first game, Lewis grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning before McKendree pulled even in the top of the second. Junior catcher Connor Davault (Farmington, MO/Farmington) led off with a double to the right-center field gap. Davault moved to third base on a ground out and scored thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Boehne. After a scoreless third inning, McKendree took control as it scored at least one run in each of the final four innings of play.
 
Sophomore outfielder Grant Anderson (Mackinaw, IL/Deer Creek-Mackinaw) and Boehne led off the fourth inning with consecutive singles. Anderson reached third base following a double play but scored the go-ahead run when Rutledge singled up the middle to push the Bearcats to a 2-1 lead. McKendree then tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning to extend the margin to 4-1. Davault was hit by a pitch with one out, and senior first baseman Jeff Tolliver (Salem, IL/Salem) followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Anderson stepped up next and delivered an RBI single to plate Davault, and Tolliver scored when Boehne lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.
 
McKendree made it 5-1 in the sixth inning as Groleau reached on a single, moved to second base on a wild pitch and scored when Klockowski ripped a run-scoring single to left field. The Bearcats closed out the scoring in the seventh inning with two outs as Boehne doubled and scored on an RBI single off the bat of sophomore infielder Justin Becker (Bartelso, IL/Breese Central).
 
Rutledge and Boehne each had three hits in the game one win. Boehne also drove in a pair of runs. Groleau and Anderson each collected two hits in the effort.
 
Junior right-hander John Tolliver (Salem, IL/Salem) threw the first six innings to pick up the win on the mound for McKendree. Tolliver scattered eight hits and allowed just one earned run. He walked one batter and struck out one to collect his first victory as a Bearcat.
 
Just as it did in the opener, Lewis (8-12, 4-8 GLVC) took the early lead in the second game, scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning. McKendree answered by taking the lead for good with a five-run outburst in the third inning for a 5-3 advantage. Becker drew a one-out walk and Rutledge singled to left field before Groleau ripped a run-scoring double to plate Becker with the first run of the inning. Senior third baseman Jake Kline (Carol Stream, IL/Glenbard North) then reached on an RBI infield single to score Rutledge and trim the deficit to 3-2.
 
Klockowski stepped up next and delivered the big blow of the frame, a three-run home run that pushed McKendree out in front. The Bearcats tacked on a run in the fourth inning as Groleau added another run-scoring double to extend the lead to 6-2. The Flyers answered with a tally in the fifth inning to pull within 6-4.
 
McKendree then put the contest away thanks to a six-run sixth inning that enabled the Bearcats to take a 12-4 lead. Ten batters came to the plate for McKendree in the uprising, which started when Rutledge took first base on a one-out walk. Groleau and Kline followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Klockowski then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Rutledge with the first run of the sixth inning.
 
After Davault was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases, Tolliver drew a walk to force home Groleau. Anderson stepped in next and punched a two-run double to left field, and Boehne delivered a two-run single that capped the six-run inning for McKendree.
 
Lewis tallied single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to trim its deficit to 12-6 before the Bearcats closed out the big offensive outburst with a run in the top of the ninth inning. With two outs, Becker and Rutledge put together consecutive singles ahead of a run-scoring single off the bat of Groleau.
 
Groleau had three RBI to go along with his four-hit performance in the nightcap for McKendree. Klockowski finished with two hits and four runs batted in as Rutledge chipped in with a three-hit game. The first four batters in the Bearcats' order (Rutledge, Groleau, Kline and Klockowski) went a combined 11-for-21 with seven runs scored and eight RBI in game two.  
 
Freshman right-hander Logan Zachry (Carlyle, IL/Carlyle) earned his first collegiate victory in game two for the Bearcats. Making his first start of the season, Zachry allowed five earned runs and 10 hits over six innings of work. He walked just one batter and fanned two Flyers.