MOUNT VERNON, Iowa –The Illinois College baseball team continued its strong conference campaign with a doubleheader sweep of Cornell College on Saturday at Ash Park Field.
The Blueboys improve to 18-11 overall on the season and 6-4 in Midwest Conference play. Cornell falls to 9-16 and 2-6 in conference play.
Game 1: IC 12 Cornell 4
The Blueboys came out firing in the opener, scoring three runs in the top of the first and following with four more in the third to build an early lead. IC stayed aggressive at the plate and on the basepaths, tallying 13 hits and swiping seven bases in the contest.
Connor Hennemann was a spark in the middle of the order, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs.
Ryne Mapes had two hits and two RBIs, while
Nolan Decker and
Ketch Mills each recorded two hits and combined for three RBIs.
Jack McGuire got the start on the mound and delivered a solid outing for IC, but it was
Branson Shaw who earned the win, tossing five strong innings in relief and allowing just one run.
Game 2: IC 6 Cornell 1
The Blueboys kept the pressure on in Game 2, scoring in four of the first six innings and piling up 14 hits in a 6–1 victory to complete the doubleheader sweep over Cornell.
Louie Bartletti led off the offense with a solo home run and finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Sean Raffa stayed red-hot at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a double.
Nolan Decker added three more hits, and
Jon Tate came through with an RBI double to extend the lead.
Charlie Lardi took control on the mound from the first pitch, striking out nine over seven dominant innings. Connor Akstulewicz followed and closed out the game for IC.
Up Next
The Blueboys go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon with first pitching scheduled for 12:00pm.
