(LEBANON, Ill., March 20)—The McKendree University baseball team produced its biggest offensive performance in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader in nearly two years on Wednesday on its way to a doubleheader sweep at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The Bearcats rolled to a 15-4 triumph in the opener before grabbing a 13-7 victory in game two.
 
The 28 runs scored by McKendree on Wednesday represents the most runs put up in a conference twinbill since April 9, 2017, when the Bearcats crossed the plate 32 times in a split at the University of Indianapolis. In that 2017 doubleheader, McKendree set its NCAA Division II-era record in game two with 28 runs in a 28-5 win over the Greyhounds.
 
With its two wins on Wednesday, McKendree improves to 7-12 overall and is now 4-4 in GLVC play. The Bearcats will head to Kirksville, Mo., this weekend for a three-game GLVC series at Truman State University. McKendree and Truman State will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon before wrapping up the weekend with a single contest Sunday, also at noon.
 
There were plenty of offensive heroes for McKendree on Wednesday. Senior outfielder Corey Chambliss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) led the pack with three hits and eight runs batted in, driving in four in each contest. Senior outfielder Drew Reich (Charlestown, IN/Charlestown) posted three hits and six RBI, all of which came in game one. Junior infielder Bryce Emery (Harrisburg, IL/Harrisburg) had four hits on the day while driving in a pair of runs. Senior infielder Drake Hampton (Godfrey, IL/Alton) also registered four hits – two in each game – while scoring three runs. Senior infielders Andrew Aydt (Wildwood, MO/Eureka) and Adam Cox (Louisville, IL/North Clay) each crossed the plate three times in the opener for the Bearcats.
 
On Wednesday, McKendree jumped out to early, sizable leads in each contest. In the first three innings of each end of the doubleheader, the Bearcats plated a combined 22 runs.
 
In the opener, McKendree sent eight batters to the plate in building an early 5-0 advantage. All five runs were unearned and came with two outs in the frame. Aydt started the uprising when he singled with two outs. Reich then reached on an error before Hampton singled to load the bases. Cox was hit by a pitch to force Aydt home with the first run of the inning. Four pitches later, Chambliss blasted a grand slam to left-center field to give the Bearcats their five-run cushion.
 
McKendree erupted for five more runs in the top of the second inning to stretch the margin to 10-0. With one out, senior infielder Matt Klosterman (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second base. Freshman Hayden Schaefer (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) and Aydt followed with successive walks to load the bases. Following an UMSL pitching change, Reich cleared the bases with a three-run double to the left-center field gap to put the Bearcats in front by eight. Hampton then produced an infield single before he and Reich scored on a Tritons' error to cap the outburst.
 
The lead grew to 13-0 in the top of the third when Schaefer reached on an error, Aydt was hit by a pitch and Reich ripped a three-run homer over the left field fence. After Missouri-St. Louis (4-15, 3-5 GLVC) dented the scoreboard for two runs in the bottom of the third, McKendree got one back in the top of the fourth. Cox led off with a walk and eventually came around to score on a run-scoring single off the bat of Emery to give the Bearcats a 14-2 lead.
 
The Bearcats' final tally of game one came in the sixth inning without the benefit of a hit. Cox reached on a one-out walk and -- following two more free passes to pinch-hitter Austin Werner (Hamel, IL/Edwardsville) and Emery – eventually scored on another walk to Klosterman.
 
Meanwhile, the Bearcats' pitching staff combined on a two-hitter in the opener. Sophomore right-hander Andrew Yancik (Glen Carbon, IL/Edwardsville) earned the mound victory for McKendree. Yancik allowed two earned runs on two hits over four innings with three strikeouts. Junior Brian Christianson (Mokena, IL/Lincoln-Way East) and senior Logan Zachry (Carlyle, IL/Carlyle) combined to hold UMSL hitless over the final three innings.
 
McKendree's offense went right back to work in the top of the first inning of the nightcap, scoring four times for a 4-0 lead. Emery and Reich had back-to-back singles before Chambliss scored both thanks to a two-run double to right field. Hampton followed with a single to put runners at the corners before Chambliss scooted home after an errant pickoff throw to stretch the margin to 3-0. Aydt brought Hampton around to score with an RBI groundout to complete the first-inning scoring. Hampton produced an RBI single in the second inning to extend the Bearcats' advantage to 5-0.
 
After UMSL scored a run in the bottom of the second to pull within 5-1, McKendree answered with a four-run third inning to race to a 9-1 lead. Senior outfielder Matt DeLaVega (Lincolnwood, IL/Niles West) opened with a single before Werner was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Emery ripped a two-out, RBI single to right field to plate DeLaVega. The Bearcats then loaded the bases before Werner scored on a wild pitch for a 7-1 cushion. Chambliss capped the rally when he singled up the middle to drive in two more runs to stretch the McKendree lead to eight runs.
 
The Bearcats closed their productive offensive day by scoring two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings. In the seventh, Werner doubled with two outs and scored when Klosterman reached on an infield single that was followed by an errant throw. Klosterman later took two bases on a wild pitch and scored on another error by the Tritons.
 
In the eighth inning, senior infielder Lucas Deimeke (Aviston, IL/Mater Dei) delivered a pinch-hit single to open the frame. Sophomore catcher Connor McCormick (Manteno, IL/Manteno) and Werner were each hit by a pitch to load the bases. Klosterman worked a walk to force home Deimeke for the first run of the inning. McCormick then brought home the Bearcats' final run of the afternoon when he scored on a wild pitch.
 
Freshman right-hander Geoff Withers (Cottage Hills, IL/Civic Memorial) registered his first collegiate victory in game two. Withers scattered six hits and allowed one earned run over five innings. He struck out six batters in the contest.