(LEBANON, Ill., May 1)—The McKendree University baseball team opened its season-ending six-game home stand on Tuesday with a pair of non-conference losses to Rockhurst University. The Hawks registered a 16-8 victory in game one before a late rally by the Bearcats came up just short in a 7-6 loss in the nightcap.
McKendree moves to 8-36 on the season and will host the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in the final Great Lakes Valley Conference series of the year. The Bearcats and Rangers are slated to play Friday and Saturday, with first pitch in each doubleheader set for noon.
As a team, McKendree rapped out 25 hits in the doubleheader against Rockhurst. Junior outfielder Drew Reich led the charge with six hits on the day, going 3-for-4 in each contest with a trio of doubles in game two. Senior outfielder Grant Anderson hit a home run in each game against the Hawks and finished with four hits on the day.
Junior infielder Luke Johnson had a three-hit performance in the opener, which included a solo homer, while junior first baseman Lucas Deimeke and freshman catcher Connor McCormick each blasted a round-tripper in the nightcap.
Rockhurst (18-27) raced to a 5-0 lead in game two before McKendree began to chip away at the deficit. Anderson launched his fifth homer of the season – and second on the day – over the left-field fence to get the Bearcats on the scoreboard at 5-1. In the third inning, Reich belted his first double of the nightcap to left-center field and came around to score on an RBI single by junior first baseman Andrew Aydt to help McKendree rally closer at 5-2.
After the Hawks plated a run in the fifth to regain a 6-2 advantage, McKendree used the long ball to pull within a run in the bottom of the sixth. Anderson led off with a double off the left field fence. On the next pitch, Deimeke launched a two-run homer over the right-center field to trim the Bearcats' deficit to 6-4. Three batters later, McCormick ripped a solo shot to left-center field to get McKendree within 6-5.
In the top of the seventh, Rockhurst pushed across an insurance run to extend its lead to 7-5. In their final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh, McKendree mounted one final rally. Reich doubled with one out, and Aydt followed with a run-scoring single on the next pitch to get the Bearcats back within a run. Deimeke was intentionally walked later in the frame to put the potential tying and winning runs on base, but the Hawks' P.J. Seufert induced a fly ball to the warning track in left field to help Rockhurst hang on for the win.
The visiting Hawks struck for two runs in the top of the first inning of game one before McKendree answered right back in the bottom of the frame. Reich reached on a two-base error and then stole third base. Aydt then drew a walk and both runners moved up a base – with Reich scoring – on a wild pitch. Anderson then delivered Aydt with an RBI single to enable the Bearcats to pull even at 2-2. Rockhurst responded with a seven-run second inning to build a 9-2 lead.
McKendree plated four runs in the bottom of the third inning, with three of the runs scoring on two-out hits. Reich drove in the first tally with an RBI single. Three batters later, Reich came around to score on a two-out RBI double from junior outfielder Austin Werner. Junior infielder Adam Cox followed with a run-scoring double before freshman catcher Austin Francis capped the rally with an RBI single to get the Bearcats within 10-6.
Johnson blasted his first home run of the season over the center field fence with one out in the fourth inning to help McKendree edge closer at 10-7. Rockhurst pulled away with five runs in the sixth inning and added another tally in the top of the seventh inning. The Bearcats plated their final run of the opener in the bottom of the frame when Anderson led off with a solo blast over the left field fence.
