(LEBANON, Ill., April 13)—The McKendree University baseball team dropped both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader Saturday at home against the University of Illinois Springfield. The Bearcats were edged in the opener by a late Prairie Stars' rally before UIS won the nightcap, 14-4.
 
McKendree will step out of conference Tuesday to travel to Bolivar, Mo., for a non-conference doubleheader at Southwest Baptist University. The teams will play two seven-inning games beginning at 2 p.m.

Freshman right-hander Ryan Vogt (Ava, IL/Trico) was dominant in the game one start for McKendree. Vogt pitched into the ninth inning for the Bearcats, allowing two earned runs on just five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. The eight-plus innings recorded by Vogt are season-high, and it was the third time this season that Vogt notched at least seven strikeouts during Saturday's quality start.
 
The Bearcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Senior infielder Matt Klosterman (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) led off with a bunt single down the third-base line and moved to second on a throwing error. Junior infielder Bryce Emery (Harrisburg, IL/Harrisburg) stepped in next and drilled a double to right-center field that plated Klosterman with the first run of the contest. Three batters later, senior first baseman Andrew Aydt (Wildwood, MO/Eureka) delivered an RBI double to left-center field that brought home Emery for McKendree's two-run lead.
 
The 2-0 score stood until the bottom of the eighth, when McKendree struck again. Senior Matt DeLaVega (Lincolnwood, IL/Niles West) reached on an error to lead off the frame and reached second after a sacrifice bunt by junior Cal Kossina (Millstadt, IL/Belleville West). With two outs in the inning, Emery came to the plate and singled up the middle to score DeLaVega with an unearned run the pushed the Bearcats' advantage to 3-0.
 
Illinois Springfield (24-11-1, 15-9 GLVC) erupted for five runs in the top of the ninth inning to grab a 5-3 lead. McKendree tried to rally in the bottom of the inning, putting the tying run on base, but the Prairie Stars were able to wiggle out of the jam to steal the game one victory.
 
In game two, McKendree (9-26, 6-18 GLVC) dented the scoreboard for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Bearcats loaded the bases before all three runs came home via bases loaded walks to senior infielder Adam Cox (Louisville, IL/North Clay), senior outfielder Corey Chambliss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) and sophomore Jacob Reinkemeyer (Wildwood, MO/Eureka). McKendree's final tally of the day came in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cox singled to lead off the frame and came around to score thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of Reinkemeyer.