(O'FALLON, Mo., April 14)—The McKendree University baseball team was defeated twice on Saturday by the University of Illinois Springfield in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader on Saturday. The games were played at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Mo.
 
The Bearcats saw a late lead slip away in the opener as the Prairie Stars rallied to grab a 7-6 win in the opener. UIS, which is ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II, then flexed its muscles to complete the sweep with a 15-8 in game two. McKendree moves to 6-26 overall and 1-10 in GLVC play. The Bearcats will host Missouri S&T in a non-conference game Wednesday at 3 p.m.
 
Junior infielder Drake Hampton rapped out four hits on the day for McKendree, while junior first baseman Andrew Aydt added three hits on the day while posting five RBI – and two homers -- in the nightcap against the Prairie Stars. Junior infielder Matt Klosterman had three hits and three runs scored in the twinbill as junior infielder Adam Cox registered two hits and three RBI in game one for the Bearcats.
 
Illinois Springfield (31-4, 12-0 GLVC) grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the opener before the Bearcats tied the contest in the bottom of the second inning. Cox led off the frame by blasting his first McKendree home run over the 30-foot high wall in right field to tie the contest at 1-1. The Prairie Stars scored two runs each in the third and fourth innings to regain the advantage at 5-1.
 
After junior infielder Drake Hampton delivered an RBI single in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 5-2, McKendree erupted for four runs in the fifth inning to take its first lead of the day at 6-5. Sophomore outfielder Blake Gray opened things with a single before Aydt ripped a one-out double to put a pair of runners in scoring position. After a UIS pitching change, Cox produced a two-run double to trim the margin to 5-4. Freshman catcher Austin Francis stepped in next and blasted a two-run homer to cap the outburst that put the Bearcats in front.
 
In the top of the seventh inning, UIS mounted a rally and scored two runs to take the lead for good at 7-6. The Prairie Stars then collected the final three outs to earn the victory.
 
In the nightcap, UIS pounded out 19 hits and scored in each of the first six innings to finish off the sweep of McKendree. The Bearcats got on the board in the bottom of the first when Aydt hit a two-run homer over the right-center field fence to push McKendree in front at 2-1. After the Prairie Stars scored six times in the top of the second for a 7-2 lead, the Bearcats answered with six tallies of their own in the bottom of the frame to knot the score at 7-7.
 
After loading the bases in the bottom of the second, McKendree scored its first run of the frame when Gray grounded out to second to plate Hampton, who led off with a single. Klosterman followed with an RBI single before Aydt belted his second homer of the contest to center field to help the Bearcats draw even.
 
The Prairie Stars went on to score eight unanswered runs to take the lead for good. McKendree's final run of the evening came in the bottom of the ninth as Klosterman scored as freshman Connor Breyer bounced into a fielder's choice.