GALESBURG, Ill. – Illinois College's
Charlie Lardi and
Andrew Wieneke combined to toss a no-hitter and helped the Blueboys to a split with Knox in a Midwest Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Blodgett Field.
The Prairie Fire opened the day with a 5-3 win before IC came back to take the nightcap, 2-1.
The Blueboys are now 16-10 overall and 4-3 in conference play, while the Prairie Fire moved to 10-10 and 2-3.
Game 1: Knox 5 IC 3
IC opened the game with a pair of runs in the first inning, the big blow being a
Tyler Barker double. The Prairie Fire took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth and then held off a late Blueboy rally keyed by a
Louie Bartletti home run in the eighth.
Barker and Bartletti each had two hits and one RBI to pace the offense.
Jack McGuire took the loss despite allowing only two hits and four runs with 11 strikeouts in his six innings of work.
Game 2: IC 2 Knox 1
Lardi was the story in this one. Returning to his hometown, the sophomore tossed 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, with 13 strikeouts. Wieneke came in and threw the final 1 1/3 with three strikeouts to complete the no-hitter.
Ketch Mills was the offense for IC. He scored the first run of the game on a Knox error in the fourth inning and then drove home the eventual game-winning run in the eighth when his sacrifice fly plated Bartletti.
Up Next
The Blueboys will conclude the series with Knox tomorrow with the rubber game at Noon.
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