Top of the Order Sparks Baseball’s Sweep of Knox

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois College baseball team earned a vital pair of victories on Sunday afternoon at Springfield's Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, building off two road wins over Knox College on Saturday by completing the four-game sweep in impressive style. The Blueboys needed only seven innings in each game to get the wins, employing the 10-run rule to end both games early. IC picked up 14-3 and 12-2 triumphs over the Prairie Fire to improve to 13-13 (6-2 Midwest Conference) and take over sole possession of the South Division lead.

The Blueboys will go out of conference on Tuesday afternoon, traveling to face Millikin University on April 21 beginning at 2 p.m. in Decatur.

Game One: Illinois College 14, Knox 3
The trio of Nick Dalfonso, Austin Dormire and Josh Krumwiede were a ridiculous 12-for-13 combined at the plate in the first game of the day, scoring nine of Illinois College's 14 runs and paving the way for the victory.

Despite consistent rains throughout the game, Dylan Sunderland only seemed troubled at one point in his start on the hill. Knox managed three straight singles with one out in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. From there, a pair of flyouts to Dalfonso ended the inning and brought the Blueboy bats up to the plate.

Leading it off, Dalfonso singled into center field and Dormire moved him up with a base on balls. Krumwiede took the first out on a fly ball to left, but Dalfonso came in to score with Dalton Kerans at the plate on a stolen base and an error from Knox catcher Derek Beaupre. With two down, Jonathan Schrage gave Illinois College the lead on a single back up the middle to score Dormire, making it 2-1 after one.

A lead-off walk gave Sunderland something to work out of in the second inning and there was a runner on second base with two outs when Paul Sanders singled into right field. Fielding the ball cleanly off one hop, Dalton Kerans delivered a strike to Austin Peck at home plate to easily get Austin Bevenue for the final out and keep the Blueboys ahead.

Collin Dooley was on third with two away in the IC second inning before scoring on a Dalfonso single. Following a Dormire base knock, Krumwiede scored both runners with another single to up the lead to 5-1 for the Blueboys going into the third.

Illinois College made up for a rare quiet offensive inning in the third by scoring four times in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead. The Blueboys had four hits and Knox committed two errors in the frame. Dalfonso singled, stole second and advanced to third on an error before racing in to score on a wild pitch to make it 6-1. Later on, Dormire came in on an error from shortstop Matt McCaffrey before Zac Schopp made the Prairie Fire pay with a two-RBI double down the left field line.

Knox came back with two runs in the top of the fifth, though IC had an answer in the bottom half to maintain a comfortable 10-3 lead going into the sixth. The offense tacked on four more runs to gain an 11-run edge on hits from Dooley, Dormire, Krumwiede and Kerans and a walk to Dalfonso. 

Ethan Crain came on in relief of Sunderland and had little problem with Knox in the seventh. With IC way out in front, the mercy rule was invoked and the Blueboys had their third win of the series.

Sunderland upped his record to 3-1 on the season by going six innings and giving up just the three runs. The Blueboys ended with 18 hits as a team in six turns at the plate. Besides the three players at the top of the order, IC also received multi-hit games from Schrage and Dooley.

Game Two: Illinois College 12, Knox 2
Things were clicking for the Blueboys and it showed in the final game of the series as the team scored at least one run in all seven innings to come away with a 12-2 win and the four-game sweep.

As was common all weekend, Dalfonso got the attack started in the first inning with a single and two stolen bases to set up Krumwiede for a RBI single to right field.

In the second, Peck fired a dart to Krumwiede to get a Knox baserunner trying to steal, then carried his momentum over to the plate with a single to start another opportunity for the Blueboys. Following a passed ball, Peck was at second for Dalfonso to double home, giving IC a two-run advantage.

Things began to get out of hand for Knox starter Zach Chainuck in the third, though not entirely due to his pitching. Kerans reached on an error to start off the inning and two were aboard for Matt Jagodzinski, who singled into right field to push Kerans across for a 3-0 lead. With the bases juiced, Peck earned a walk to up the lead to 4-0 and it went to 5-0 as another error on the shortstop scored Jagodzinski.

The Prairie Fire showed just a bit of life in the fourth against IC starter Dylan Jones. A walk and two-run homer to right pulled Knox to back within three at 5-2. Jones was able to then strike out two Prairie Fire hitters to get out of the inning and bring IC back to the dish. 

Lucas Marlow restored order with a RBI single in the fourth, making it 6-2. Peck ended the Knox fifth by catching another runner stealing and Dormire scored Dalfonso from third to re-establish the five-run lead at 7-2 after five complete.

Jones was nearing the end of his day in the sixth inning and Knox had two aboard, but he had enough in the tank to strike out Andrew Sparrow for the second out. From there, Kam Wells fouled a ball down the right side that seemed destined to go safely out of play until Jagodzinski leaned over the fence and snared the ball to end the threat. That was the end of the day for Jones, who struck out five and gave up just the two runs to move to 3-1 for the season.

Peck scored another IC run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth and reliever Kevin Schuh promptly ended the Knox seventh inning, bringing the Blueboys back up with an 8-2 edge. In that final frame, Illinois College rarely had to lift the bat off of its shoulder. Dormire started off the inning with a solid single, but that was followed by four consecutive walks and a wild pitch to make it 11-2. With the bases still loaded and one down, a Peck single to left scored Schrage to bring the game to an end.

Dalfonso supplied Illinois College with three of the team's 12 hits in the game. Dormire, Krumwiede and Peck all added two hits apiece.