LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University baseball dropped its first pair of games on the weekend against Grand Valley State, falling 11-5 in the first game, and 8-7 in game two. With the pair of losses, McKendree moved to 4-12 on that season but will look to split the four-game series with GVSU during the Sunday, March 20 double-header. 

Game 1
McKendree was slow to start against the Lakers, unable to score until the third inning. GVSU fired away fast, going up 5-0 in the first two innings. The first Bearcat runs were put up via a center field bomb by graduate catcher Mason Hale in the bottom of the third, which drove in senior infielder JP Kehoe (5-2 GVSU). The visiting-Lakers then tacked on three more in the fourth and fifth innings but McKendree came back with three runs of their own in the fifth inning. Hale, once again, sent a shot over the fence, bringing in Kehoe, cutting the deficit to four runs (8-4). Senior outfielder Ryan Hutchinson then blasted another homer for McKendree in the fifth to get the deficit to three runs.

Grand Valley added three more insurance runs in the sixth inning, pushing it lead to 11-5. 

Game 2
The Bearcats struck quickly in the second game of the day with Hutchinson hitting his second home run of the day to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore outfielder Joseph Copeland added a two-run homer later in the inning, driving in senior outfielder Corey Price and made the lead 3-0. Grand Valley tied up the contest in the second inning at 3-3. 

The Lakers took a three-run lead in the fifth inning, 6-3. McKendree started its comeback with a third Hale homer of the day, putting the Bearcats down just two runs (6-4). A deep double by senior infielder Joseph Costanzo drove in sophomore catcher Tommy Mohan, making it a one-run game, 6-5. The seventh inning was null for the visiting-Lakers but McKendree tied the game up, 6-6, behind a left field bomb by redshirt junior catcher Austin Francis.

GVSU tacked on a two-run homer to take an 8-6 lead in the top of the ninth. McKendree fell just short in the bottom of the ninth with one run scored from a single by Copeland which drove in Costanzo. The Bearcats dropped the second game on a count of 8-7 to GVSU.