(LEBANON, Ill., March 20)—The McKendree University baseball team rode the strength of a solid offensive attack to a doubleheader sweep Sunday afternoon at home against Rockhurst University. The Bearcats rallied in both games, taking the opener 10-6 before holding off the Hawks for a 10-7 triumph in game two.
 
As a team, McKendree pounded out 27 hits on the day to back its 20-run outburst against Rockhurst. The Bearcats pushed their season-high win streak to four games to move to 8-11 on the season. McKendree will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play Friday afternoon at the University of Illinois Springfield. The Bearcats and Prairie Stars will play doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, with first pitch each day set for noon.
 
Thanks to its two wins on Sunday, McKendree was able to close out a three-game weekend sweep of Rockhurst. The Bearcats posted 41 hits in the three victories. Sunday's games also finished off a season-long 12-game home stand for McKendree, which went 8-4 during that span at Hypes Field.
 
Senior catcher Connor Davault (Farmington, MO/Farmington) led the charge on Sunday by collecting six hits in the doubleheader, including a 4-for-4 effort in the nightcap. Junior infielder Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) was also 4-for-4 in the second game. Freshman infielder Luke Johnson (Barrington, IL/Barrington) had three hits in the opener as junior outfielder Jay Roberts (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) had two hits in game one and drove in four runs on the day.
 
Sophomore outfielder Brendan Madden (St. Louis, MO/Vianney) drove in three runs in the second game despite no official at-bat in the contest. Madden recorded a pair of sacrifice flies and a squeeze bunt in a pivotal four-run eighth inning for the Bearcats.
 
McKendree sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning of game one in jumping to a 4-0 lead. Johnson led off with a single and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Fisher. After Rogers singled to put runners at the corners, junior first baseman Matt Walsh (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton Warrenville South) stepped up and drilled a three-run home run over the left-field fence to give the Bearcats a 3-0 advantage. Davault followed with a double down the left-field line, and scored two batters later as Deaville ripped an RBI double into the left-field corner.
 
Rockhurst (8-12) answered with five runs in the top of the second to take a 5-4 lead. The Hawks added a single run in the top of the fifth for a two-run advantage before McKendree rallied with five runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead for good at 9-6. Rogers started the inning with a single and Walsh was promptly hit by a pitch. Following a sacrifice bunt from Davault, Roberts ripped a two-run double to right-center field to tie the game at 6-6. Deaville came up next and delivered a run-scoring single that brought home Roberts with the go-ahead tally.
 
Groleau made it 8-6 with an RBI single to plate Deaville. Johnson finished up the outburst with another RBI single to bring home Groleau. The Bearcats added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Roberts collected a two-out, run-scoring single to plate Walsh, who reached on a one-out walk.
 
Sophomore right-hander Nick Yung (Smithton, IL/Freeburg) picked up his first win of the season by throwing the final five innings in relief for McKendree. Yung allowed one earned run on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
 
The second game was scoreless until the fourth inning, when McKendree drew first blood with two runs in the fourth inning to take a 2-0 lead. Junior outfielder Grant Anderson (Mackinaw, IL/Deer Creek-Mackinaw) was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. He reached third base when a wild throw on a sacrifice bunt by Davault sailed down the right-field line. Anderson scored when Roberts reached on a fielder's choice. Junior outfielder Ryan Cates (Anderson, IN/Yorktown) capped the inning with an RBI single to score pinch-runner Colton Calhoun (Mt. Zion, IL/Mt. Zion).
 
In the top of the fifth inning, Rockhurst produced five runs to pull in front at 5-2. The Bearcats battled back in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice to rally within 5-4. Fisher opened the inning with a single and came around to score on an RBI single by Anderson. Madden then provided his first sacrifice fly of the day to score Anderson.
 
The Hawks stretched its margin to 6-4 in the top of the seventh when the Bearcats rallied once again with two more runs in the bottom of the inning to knot the contest at 6-6. Anderson led off with a double before a double off the right-field fence by Davault put runners at second and third. Madden lifted another sacrifice fly to bring home Anderson, and Groleau added a two-out, run-scoring single to plate Davault with the tying run.
 
Johnson opened McKendree's four-run eighth inning with a walk. Fisher then legged out a bunt for a single ahead of an RBI single by Rogers to score Johnson with the go-ahead tally. After a sacrifice bunt by Anderson put both runners in scoring position, Davault singled to bring home Fisher for an 8-6 advantage.
 
Madden and senior infielder Adam Kunkel (Red Bud, IL/Red Bud) then dropped down consecutive squeeze bunts to extend the Bearcats' lead to four runs heading into the top of the ninth inning. Rockhurst loaded the bases and scored a run to pull within 10-7, but junior right-hander Matt Henning (Wichita, KS/Bishop Carroll) was able to register the final two outs to notch his third save of the year. Senior left-hander Josh Tonozzi (Mark, IL/Putnam County) pitched a perfect eighth inning to nail down the win on the mound for McKendree.