(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill., Feb. 22)—The McKendree University baseball team rode the strength of strong pitching combined with timely hitting to post a 5-3 victory Friday night over Saginaw Valley State University. The Bearcats and Cardinals met for the first game of a three-game series at the Simmons Baseball Complex in Edwardsville, Ill.
Three McKendree pitchers combined to toss a six-hitter against Saginaw Valley State while the Bearcats scored the final five runs of the contest to notch their victory of the 2019 season. McKendree improves to 1-3 on the year. The two teams will meet in game two of their weekend series Saturday at 6 p.m. once again in Edwardsville.
Senior right-hander
Levi Brening (Coon Rapids, MN/DuQuoin) established a new career-high by striking out eight batters over the first five innings of Friday's contest. Brening overcame a rough second inning to allow three earned runs on five hits to register his first win of the year. Sophomore
Lucas Vallandingham (Millstadt, IL/Belleville West) and junior
Adam Bunnell (Salem, IL/Salem) each threw two innings after Brening as Bunnell tossed the final two frames to earn the save. In all, McKendree hurlers struck out 11 Cardinal batters.
After a scoreless first inning, Saginaw Valley State (0-4) broke through with three runs in the top of the second to take a 3-0 advantage. McKendree got one run back in the bottom of the fourth when senior infielder
Drake Hampton (Godfrey, IL/Alton) drew a one-out walk and promptly proceeded to steal second and third base. Hampton then raced home on a wild pitch to help the Bearcats draw within 3-1.
McKendree then sent eight batters to the plate in scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead at 4-3. Junior
Cal Kossina (Millstadt, IL/Belleville West) started things with a single to center field. Freshman infielder
Hayden Schaefer (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) then laid down a sacrifice bunt, and an errant throw allowed Kossina to reach third base. Senior infielder
Matt Klosterman (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) followed by legging out an infield single to score Kossina with the first run of the frame.
Following a Saginaw Valley State pitching change, senior outfielder
Corey Chambliss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) added his own RBI infield single to plate Schaefer and knot the contest at 3-3. Klosterman later scored on a double play ground ball to give McKendree its first lead of the night.
The Bearcats tacked on a key insurance run in the bottom of the seventh when senior outfielder
Drew Reich (Charlestown, IN/Charlestown) ripped a one-out double to right-center field and scored three pitches later when senior infielder
Andrew Aydt (Wildwood, MO/Eureka) delivered an RBI single through the right side.
Meanwhile, the McKendree pitching staff held Saginaw Valley State in check. Brening finished his outing by retiring the final nine batters he faced before giving way to Vallandingham, who pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Vallandingham fanned one batter over his two innings of work before Bunnell took over in the eighth inning. Bunnell faced the minimum in his outing, striking out two to seal the Bearcats' victory.
