(LEBANON, Ill., April 13)—The McKendree University baseball team dropped both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader Friday afternoon at home against the University of Illinois Springfield. The Bearcats nearly overcame a nine-run deficit in an 11-10 loss in the opener before the Prairie Stars – ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II – rolled to a 15-4 triumph in game two.
 
McKendree is now 6-24 overall and 1-8 in GLVC play. The Bearcats and Prairie Stars have moved up the conclusion of their four-game weekend series and will meet in another doubleheader Saturday at Hypes Field with first pitch coming at noon.
 
Sophomore outfielder Blake Gray drove in a career-high five runs in the opener, highlighted by an eighth-inning grand slam. Junior first baseman Andrew Aydt also added two hits in game one, while junior outfielder Corey Chambliss and senior infielder Jeff Wetzler each belted solo home runs in the nightcap for the Bearcats.
 
Illinois Springfield (29-4, 10-0 GLVC) jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings, which included a seven-run second inning outburst. McKendree began to chip away at its deficit with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman catcher Austin Francis opened the inning with a single and eventually came around to score on a UIS error. Gray then drove in his first run of the contest with a groundout to help the Bearcats pull within 9-2. The Prairie Stars added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to stretch the margin back to 11-2.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, McKendree sent 13 batters to plate to register its biggest inning of the 2018 season. The Bearcats plated eight runs to get within a run at 11-10. Gray had two hits and a pair of runs scored in the frame as he started things with a double before belting a two-out grand slam to cap the rally. But Illinois Springfield was able to hold on to grab the game one win.
 
Senior outfielder Grant Anderson began the scoring for McKendree in game two with an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning to help the Bearcats get within 4-1. UIS pushed its lead to 10-1 in the top of the third before the Bearcats responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Wetzler led off with a solo homer over the left-center field fence before junior infielder Matt Klosterman followed with a single and eventually came around to score on an error.
 
McKendree's final run of the day came in the bottom of the fifth when Chambliss ripped a solo home run to left field.