(LEBANON, Ill., April 30)—The McKendree University baseball team was nipped Saturday in both ends of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon by Lewis University at Hypes Field. The Bearcats and Flyers played a pair of one-run contests, with Lewis taking the opener 8-7 before holding off McKendree in game two, 11-10.
 
McKendree moves to 14-30 overall and 6-18 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Bearcats will close out the home portion of their 2016 schedule Wednesday afternoon by hosting the University of Missouri-St. Louis in non-conference action. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
 
It was Senior Day at Hypes Field, and McKendree honored its six senior players between games of the doubleheader – pitcher Austin Avalos (Ballwin, MO/Parkway South), catcher/outfielder Connor Davault (Farmington, MO/Farmington), catcher Kyle Jackson (Hoffman, IL/Carlyle), infielder Adam Kunkel (Red Bud, IL/Red Bud), pitcher Sam Lidisky (Swansea, IL/Althoff Catholic) and pitcher Josh Tonozzi (Mark, IL/Putnam County).
 
The outcome of each game on Saturday was not decided until the final pitch. McKendree put the potential game-tying run in scoring position in each game before the Flyers were able to register the last out to preserve their doubleheader sweep.
 
Several McKendree players enjoyed a productive afternoon at the plate. Junior infielder Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) led the charge with six hits, including a 4-for-4 performance in game two. Davault rapped out five hits in the twinbill, while junior first baseman Keith Rogers (Marshall, IL/Marshall) belted a pair of two-run home runs in the nightcap and drove in six runs on the day.
 
Sophomore outfielder Brad Groleau (Peru, IL/St. Bede Academy) connected for a double and triple in game one, while junior outfielder Colton Calhoun (Mt. Zion, IL/Mt. Zion) blasted a two-run home run in the final game of the day.
 
In game one, Lewis (25-18, 14-10) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning before McKendree answered by tying things up in the bottom of the frame. Junior outfielder Jay Roberts (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) reached on a Flyers' error, then advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by Fisher. Rogers lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Roberts to get the Bearcats on the scoreboard. Fisher later raced home on a wild pitch to knot the contest at 2-2.
 
McKendree grabbed its first lead of the day with two tallies in the second for a 4-2 advantage. Groleau led off with a double and came around to score on an RBI single by junior catcher Chris Deaville (Rantoul, IL/Rantoul), who later scored on an error to help the Bearcats build their two-run lead.
 
The Flyers responded by putting up four runs in the top of the third to jump back in front at 6-4. In the bottom half of the inning, Rogers led off with a double and raced home thanks to a run-scoring single off the bat of Davault to get McKendree back with 6-5. One inning later, the Bearcats used an RBI single from Roberts and a run-scoring groundout by Rogers to surge back in front at 7-6. Lewis then took the lead for good by pushing across two runs in the sixth.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, McKendree put together a two-out rally in hopes of tying or winning in walk-off fashion. Davault reached on a walk and reached third on another Flyers' error. Groleau worked a walk to load the bases before Lewis closer Phil Warner recorded the final out to seal the win.
 
Rogers helped the Bearcats grab a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap when he belted a two-run home run over the right-center field fence. Lewis responded with five runs in the top of the second for a 5-2 advantage. In the bottom of the second, Calhoun turned on an inside fast ball and ripped a two-run homer to left to get McKendree back within 5-4.
 
A sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Matt Walsh (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton Warrenville South) in the third inning helped the Bearcats tie the game at 5-5 before a four-run outburst in the fourth pushed the hosts back in front. Roberts gave McKendree a 6-5 lead thanks to an RBI groundout before Calhoun – who walked earlier in the inning – scored on a wild pitch. Rogers later connected on his second two-run blast of the game to cap the rally and give the Bearcats a 9-5 lead.
 
Lewis tied the game with a pair of runs in the fifth before taking the lead for good at 11-9 thanks to a four-run seventh inning. Once again, McKendree rallied in its final at-bat in the bottom of the ninth. Davault and Kunkel opened the frame with consecutive singles before moving into scoring position on a wild pitch. Freshman shortstop Luke Johnson (Barrington, IL/Barrington) grounded out to drive home Davault and bring the Bearcats within 11-10. But Warner again shut the door on McKendree to pick up his second save of the afternoon and give the Flyers the sweep.