(LEBANON, Ill., March 12)—The McKendree University baseball team returned to action at Leemon Field on Tuesday and registered a non-conference doubleheader split against William Jewell College. The Bearcats dropped the opener 7-4 before pulling away late to win game two, 6-1.
 
Tuesday's split gives McKendree an overall record of 4-10 on the season. The Bearcats will continue their home stand this weekend when the University of Indianapolis visits Lebanon for a three-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday ahead of a single contest on Sunday. First pitch both days is slated for noon.
 
McKendree used the long ball in the nightcap in earning the doubleheader split with William Jewell. The Bearcats belted a season-high four home runs in game two, including three within a four-batter span in the bottom of the sixth inning to break open a close contest. Senior outfielder Drew Reich (Charlestown, IN/Charlestown) led the homer barrage as he belted one in each game against the Cardinals.
 
Junior infielder Bryce Emery (Harrisburg, IL/Harrisburg) sparked the McKendree offense with five hits on the day, including three in the opener. Senior outfielder Corey Chambliss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) rapped out three hits for the Bearcats, one of which was a round-tripper in game two.
 
In the nightcap, William Jewell (7-9-1) took an early 1-0 lead before McKendree moved in front in the bottom of the fourth inning. Freshman infielder Hayden Schaefer (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) collected the Bearcats' first hit of the contest with a leadoff infield single. Four pitches later, senior infielder Andrew Aydt (Wildwood, MO/Eureka) drilled a pitch deep over the right field fence to give McKendree its first lead of the day at 2-1.
 
The Bearcats' one-run advantage stood until the bottom of the sixth, when the bats came alive in a big way. Schaefer started a four-run outburst as he drew a leadoff walk. Two batters later, Reich blasted a two-run homer over the left-center field fence to give McKendree some key insurance runs and a 4-1 lead. Senior infielder Drake Hampton (Godfrey, IL/Alton) stepped up next and drilled a line drive down the left-field line that hit the top of the fence and bounced over for a solo home run to stretch the lead to four runs.
 
Two batters later, Chambliss completed the homer-heavy frame for McKendree when he hit a solo home run to left field to close out the game two scoring. The Bearcats had eight hits in the nightcap, half of which were home runs.
 
Meanwhile, sophomore right-hander Connor Gilles (High Ridge, MO/Rockwood Summit) turned in a solid start to pick up the mound victory for McKendree. In five innings of work, Gilles allowed just four hits with a career-high six strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander Lucas Vallandingham (Millstadt, IL/Belleville West) and freshman right-hander Logan Boente (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) each tossed an inning to shut the door on the Cardinals.
 
William Jewell took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning of game one before McKendree dented the scoreboard. Emery led off the frame with a double and moved to third base on an errant pickoff throw. He eventually scored on an RBI groundout by senior infielder Adam Cox (Louisville, IL/North Clay) to trim the deficit. The Bearcats edged closer at 3-2 in the fourth inning when Reich belted a leadoff home run to left field on the first pitch of the frame.
 
After the Cardinals scored twice in the top of the fifth to push their lead to 5-2, McKendree answered back with a tally of its own in the bottom of the inning to pull back within 5-3. Emery figured into the mix once again as he led off with a single and came around to score thanks to a run-scoring groundout by senior infielder Matt Klosterman (Belleville, IL/Belleville West).
 
The Bearcats' final run of the contest came in the sixth inning as senior Matt DeLaVega (Lincolnwood, IL/Niles West) reached base on a William Jewell error and scored when Cox lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.
 
Freshman right-hander Geoff Withers (Cottage Hills, IL/Civic Memorial) drew the game one start for McKendree and scattered five hits and three earned runs over three innings in taking the loss.