JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois College baseball team wrapped the Midwest Conference weekend series against the University of Chicago Saturday afternoon with a double-header at Joe Brooks Field. The Blueboys dropped both games against the Maroons, losing 0-12 and 6-11.
Game 1: Illinois College 0, Chicago 12
Left-handed starting pitcher
Jack McGuire earned his sixth start of the season as he took the mound for IC in game one. McGuire opened the game by recording three consecutive flyouts for a scoreless inning. In the bottom half and two outs,
Louie Bartletti broke the defensive pull shift by the Maroons with a single to left center but was stranded on second to end the inning.
In the top of the second, the University of Chicago took the early 2-0 lead that included a solo home run from Jack Goldstein and a rbi single from Jack Sharp. In the top of the third, the Maroons extended their lead to 4-0 with back-to-back solo home runs from Mike Gladden and Erik Rindner.
In the top of the fourth, the Maroons added two runs with a two-run double by Gladden. In the bottom of the fifth,
Brayden Weaver ripped a two-out single to left center but did not advance any further.
In the top of the sixth, IC called upon reliever
Tyler Allen out of the bullpen as he recorded the first out of the inning with a groundout to
Nolan Decker at third. With two Chicago runners in scoring position, the Maroons added a run on a wild pitch issued by Allen that made the score 0-7. With two outs, the Maroons tacked on three additional runs that included a two-run home run for the score 0-10.
In the top of the seventh, the Maroons scored the final two runs of the game that included a rbi single to center by Jonathan Zeevi and a fielder's choice double-play started by
Connor Hennemann at shortshop that allowed Sharp to score. In the bottom half,
Jon Tate recorded the final hit for the Blueboys with a double to right.
For the game, IC recorded three hits that was tallied by Bartletti, Weaver, and Tate. On the mound, McGuire delivered five complete innings of work and struck out six while Allen finished off the game with two innings.
Game 2: Illinois College 6, Chicago 11
First-year pitcher
Charlie Lardi collected his second start of the season as he took the mound for IC in game two. In the first inning, Lardi recorded a scoreless inning that included two groundouts and a strikeout. In the bottom half, Bartletti got the inning started with a two-out double to left center. Three pitches later, Hennemann gave IC the early 1-0 lead with a rbi single to left center that scored Bartletti.
In the top of the second, Lardi was locked in and recorded his second straight scoreless inning by striking out the side that brought his strikeout total to four in two innings. In the bottom portion, the Blueboys added three runs on five hits that started on a single to left center by
Tyler Barker. Following the single by Barker,
Logan Schweigert won the 10-pitch at-bat with a two-run home run center that made the score 3-0. With two outs,
Adam Passmore smashed a double left and later scored on a rbi single by
Ryne Mapes that increased the lead to 4-0.
In the third, the Maroons added a single run with a sacrifice fly that made the score 4-1. Lardi remained sharp on the mound as he added three strikeouts in the middle innings.
In the sixth, the Maroons erupted for a six-run inning that included four hits that made the score 4-7. In the final three innings, the University of Chicago added four insurance runs that extended the score to 4-11.
In the bottom of the ninth, Passmore led off the inning with a solo home run to right that made the score 5-11. Immediately following the blast by Passmore, Mapes ripped a triple down the right field line. Three pitches later, Bartletti added the final run for IC as he scored Mapes.
For the game, Schweigert led IC with two runs batted in while four other student-athletes recorded at least two hits. On the mound, used six different pitchers as Lardi led the pitching staff with all seven strikeouts.
The Blueboys will be back in action next weekend with a visit to Ripon College for a Midwest Conference weekend series starting on Saturday, April 6 at Noon in Ripon, Wisconsin.
