KANSAS CITY, Mo. | Loyola Park Baseball Field - McKendree University baseball (13-17, 7-9 GLVC) grabbed victories in the series opener, 16-12, and finale, 13-10, against the Rockhurst Hawks this weekend, splitting a third-straight Great Lakes Valley Conference series. The Bearcats hold eighth place in the GLVC standings following the weekend series at 7-9 (.438). McKendree will be back in action prior to Easter Sunday with games against Illinois Springfield on Thursday through Saturday before playing host to Quincy to close-out their home slate for the season.
Game 1 | March 31
The Bearcats kicked things off for the weekend in high-scoring fashion, adding 16 runs in the victory behind 15 hits. McKendree struck first over the Hawks with two runs in the second inning as infielder
Michael Paule hit a solo shot in the lead-off spot while infielder
Brody Macak knocked a double to drive in catcher
Kyle Czarnecki. Rockhurst came back in the bottom half of the inning with six runs to take a lead, 6-2.
The Bearcats added two more in the top of the third with a pair of run-scoring doubles with outfielder
Katom Parnell and Paule each collecting the extra-base hit while utility
Joey Kossina and Parnell scored. McKendree gave up another pair to the Hawks in the bottom half to make it an 8-4 game.
The Bearcats fired-off in the top of the fourth, scoring eight runs to take a 12-8 lead. McKendree strung three hits together to begin the inning as Czarnecki singled, outfielder
Chyran Cruse doubled, and Macak signled to score both Czarnecki and Cruse. Infielder
Brett Freiberg then reached via walk while Kossina hit a single and Parnell a double. Macak scored on Parnell's single. The huge inning was capped-off by outfielder
Brandon Roth, who blasted a three-run shot, allowing Paule and infielder
Noah Nelson to score.
Rockhurst made it a one-run game in the fifth, scoring three. The Bearcats added three of their own in the seventh as Nelson fired a three-run shot with Parnell and Freiberg scoring, making it 15-11.
Rockhurst and McKendree both added one more run in the eighth, making the contest 16-12.
Freshman hurler
Jameson Strozier got the victory on the mound for the Bearcats as the staff struck-out 11 batters overall.
Game 2 | April 1 (7inn.)
The second game of the weekend proved to be the low-run outing as the Bearcats dropped 6-3. McKendree scored first with a run in the first behind a single by Paule, which drove in Kossina, who reach via double.
Rockhurst collected four runs in the bottom half of the opening inning, taking a 4-1 lead. The Bearcats fought back with two runs between the fourth and fifth innings, but Rockhurst added two more as well.
Owen Gross tallied six strikeouts in five innings on the mound.
Game 3 | April 1 (7inn.)
The Bearcats looked to take the second seven-inning outing of the weekend, taking up a 6-1 lead through the fourth.
McKendree started off in the first behind a triple by Parnell, which allowed Kossina to score while Parnell made it home off a Nelson sac fly. Nelson sent another sac fly in the third which brought home Macak. In the fourth, Macak drove in Czarnecki while Parnell helped bring home catcher
Kaid Muth. The Bearcats then put up two more runs in the fifth off a Macak single as Roth and Czarnecki scored. After five, McKendree led, 8-2.
Rockhurst battled back, scoring seven runs in the final two innings, to walk-off with the victory, 9-8.
Mac Grant threw five innings for the Bearcats, striking-out four while allowing just three runs.
Game 4 | April 2
MKendree did not waste time in the series finale, scoring three in the opening half inning behind a Paule homer, which scored Parnell and Kossina. The first-inning home run was one of four over the first four innings for McKendree as Czarnecki blasted a solo shot in the third while Parnell and Nelson each added home runs in the fourth. Parnell's was a two-run bomb while Nelson fired another solo shot. McKendree led 9-4 after the fourth.
Rockhurst managed three more runs before the Bearcats could score again, making it a 9-6 game after the fifth.
McKendree added two more with a Roth homer in the sixth while Parnell singled in the seventh to score Kossina. The visiting-Bearcats put up their final runs in the top of the eighth as Czarnecki tripled, scoring Roth, before Cruse singled, which scored Czarnecki.
The Bearcats evened the series, 2-2, with their 13-10 finale win.
Griffin Frahm got the win for McKendree, while
Brandon Matthews earned the save.
UP NEXT
McKendree baseball will host UIS and Quincy over the next two weekends, facing the Prairie Stars on April 6-8 and Quincy on April 14-16.
