(LEBANON, Ill., April 7)—The McKendree University baseball team took one of two games on Saturday in non-conference action at home against Oakland City University. The visiting Mighty Oaks won the opener 7-2 before the Bearcats bounced back with a 3-1 triumph in game two.
Saturday's split at Hypes Field gives McKendree a season record of 6-20. The Bearcats will return to action Tuesday with its lone scheduled contest against an NCAA Division I opponent this season, Southeast Missouri State University. McKendree will be in Cape Girardeau, Mo., for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Freshman left-hander Jack Strieker limited Oakland City to one unearned run and just three hits over six innings of work to collect the mound victory in the nightcap for McKendree. Strieker walked one batter and fanned four to post his second win of the season. Junior infielder Lucas Deimeke provided the big blow for the Bearcats in the win with a two-run home run in the first inning. It was Deimeke's third round-tripper of the season.
McKendree scored all the runs it would need in game two in the bottom of the first inning. Junior outfielder Corey Chambliss was hit by a pitch with two outs. Two pitches later, Deimeke drove a fast ball over the left-center field fence for a two-run shot to give the Bearcats a 1-0 advantage.
The Bearcats added another run in the second inning. Freshman Steven Nguyen reached on an infield single before junior outfielder Austin Werner was hit by a pitch. Junior outfielder Blake Gray drew a two-out walk to load the bases before junior infielder Luke Johnson brought home Nguyen with an RBI single through the left side to stretch the McKendree lead to 3-0.
Oakland City (9-21) scratched out an unearned run off Strieker without the benefit of a hit to close the gap to 3-1. But Strieker was able to keep the Mighty Oaks at bay, exiting after six innings and 98 pitches. Freshman right-hander Andrew Yancik then retired the side in the seventh inning to nail down his first collegiate save and give the Bearcats the split.
Game one was scoreless heading into the top of the fourth inning, when Oakland City plated a run to take a 1-0 lead. The Mighty Oaks added another tally in the top of the fifth to push the margin to 2-0. McKendree responded by scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score at 2-2. Freshman catcher Austin Francis was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. Deimeke singled to left field before both runners moved up after a sacrifice bunt by Gray. Senior infielder Jeff Wetzler then delivered an RBI single to score Francis and cut the Bearcats' deficit in half at 2-1.
Two batters later, junior infielder Matt Klosterman legged out an infield single to plate Deimeke with the tying run to bring McKendree all square at 2-2. The momentum was short-lived, however, as Oakland City scored four times in the sixth inning to take the lead for good at 6-2.
Senior right-hander Nick Yung, who did not figure in the decision in game one, held the Mighty Oaks to just one run and two hits over the first four innings. Yung fanned three batters in the effort.
