(LEBANON, Ill., March 31)—The McKendree University baseball team opened its four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series at Hypes Field against Bellarmine University by dropping both ends of a doubleheader to the visiting Knights. Bellarmine rolled to a 15-5 in the opener before taking game two by a 5-0 margin.
 
The doubleheader loss gives McKendree an overall record of 8-16, while the Bearcats are 0-6 in GLVC play. McKendree and Bellarmine will close out their weekend set with another doubleheader Saturday at Hypes Field, with first pitch set for noon.
 
Junior catcher Matt DeLaVega (Lincolnwood, IL/Niles West) went 3-for-4 in game one for McKendree with two RBI, while junior infielder Andrew Aydt (Wildwood, MO/Eureka) recorded two hits and drove in three runs in the same contest. Senior infielder Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) and sophomore infielder Luke Johnson (Barrington, IL/Barrington) each had two hits and scored twice in game one for the Bearcats. Junior Hayden Bodine (Washington, IL/Washington) was a bright spot for McKendree in the nightcap as he collected two of McKendree's three hits in the game off Bellarmine starter Hunter Spencer.
 
In the opener, Bellarmine (16-10, 4-2 GLVC) raced to an 8-0 lead by scoring four runs in each of the first two innings. McKendree put together a two-out rally to score three times in the bottom of the fourth inning to pull within 8-3. Fisher started the uprising with a single before Johnson followed with a single of his own to right field. DeLaVega then got the Bearcats on the scoreboard with an RBI single to plate Fisher. Aydt stepped in next and ripped a two-run double to right-center field to bring home Johnson and DeLaVega to close out the rally.
 
The Bearcats then scored two more runs in the sixth inning to trim the deficit to 8-5. Again, Fisher began things with a one-out single. Johnson added another base hit before DeLaVega delivered another RBI single to bring home Fisher. Aydt came up next belted an RBI single to center field to score Johnson. McKendree eventually brought the tying run to the plate in the frame, but the Knights worked out of a jam to preserve their three-run lead.
 
Bellarmine answered the McKendree rally with a seven-run outburst in the top of the seventh inning to put the game out of reach. Four Bearcats saw action on the mound in the opener, with sophomore left-hander Brandon Tatum (Vero Beach, FL/Vero Beach) collecting the loss.
 
Spencer was the story of game two for Bellarmine as he tossed a complete-game three-hitter against McKendree. He walked just one batter with three strikeouts to notch his first complete game and shutout for the season. Junior outfielder Brad Groleau (Peru, IL/St. Bede Academy) rapped out the Bearcats' first hit of the contest with a leadoff single in the third inning, while Bodine added his singles in the fourth and sixth innings.
 
Junior right-hander Nick Yung (Smithton, IL/Freeburg) was charged with his first loss of the season for McKendree after opening the year with three victories. Yung scattered six hits and allowed five earned runs in his four innings of work.