Game One HTML Box Score / Game One PDF Box Score
Game Two HTML Box Score / Game Two PDF Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS – Lewis baseball split a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at Indianapolis on Friday (April 6) afternoon. Lewis took the first game 3-2 before falling in the second 1-0.
 
“Today was pretty typical for this series the last couple years,” Lewis head coach Tim McDonough said. “All four starters threw the ball well and we did just enough in game one and they did just enough in game two.”
 
Sophomore Drew Buddle (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) scored a run in the first inning of game one for Lewis thanks to a Greyhound error as Indianapolis tried to turn an inning ending double play. The wild throw by the shortstop allowed Buddle score. Buddle scored Lewis' second run in the sixth on a passed ball.
 
Lewis didn't need any Indianapolis mistakes in the seventh when senior Mike Bolling (Chicago, Ill./Guerin Prep) (Chicago, Ill./Guerin Prep/Triton) singled with two outs to knock in senior Michael Wido (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South). It made the score 3-0 however the cushion didn't last long as Indianapolis scored their only two runs in the bottom of the seventh. It could have been worse though. Senior catcher Brian Norwood (Medinah, Ill./Lake Park) (Medinah, Ill./Lake Park) picked off a runner at second after a pitch in the dirt got away just for a moment. Lewis starter sophomore Tom Helwich (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way Central) (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way Central) then earned a strikeout and a fly out to end the inning.
 
Helwich ran into trouble in the eighth when Indianapolis put runners on first and second. Senior Drew Hicks (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) entered and after hitting the first batter he faced to load the bases, struck out Chris Saroff to end the inning with the bases loaded.
 
Hicks faced more trouble in the ninth when a one-out double that Bolling lost in the sun in center field put the tying run in scoring position. However Hicks worked out of it with back-to-back ground outs to second base to end the game.
 
Hicks picked up his fourth save of the season with his 1.1 inning outing. Helwich gets the win and is now 3-0. He allowed five hits, two runs and two walks with six strikeouts in 7.2 innings.
 
“Tommy was great, he just ran out of gas a little bit,” McDonough said. “Drew's been good lately and we needed him today to finish it out.”
 
Buddle finished game one with two hits and two runs scored. Hugo Lalonde (3-3) took the loss for the Greyhounds.
 
Thanks to winning game one, Lewis had won six straight one-run games played between the two clubs. However that streak came to an end in the nightcap.
 
The only run of game two was scored by the Greyhounds in the bottom of the first. This time it was the Flyers' shortstop committing an error on a double play chance to score a run.
 
Indianapolis starter Donovan Drake threw a 7.0 complete game for the Greyhounds. Drake, the GLVC's ERA leader, allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out 10 Flyers. Lewis' best chance came in the second when they had runners at first and second with one out and bases loaded with two outs. However the Drake worked out of the mess.
 
Lewis' leadoff hitters singled in the fourth and sixth, but both were runners were thrown out trying to steal second.
 
Senior Pat Lahey (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) took the loss for Lewis. He allowed just an unearned run on three hits and one walk in six innings. He fanned four Greyhounds. Lahey's record is 2-2.
 
“Both pitchers were dominating in game two,” McDonough said. “The first day seven-inning games are tough because you're going to see two pretty good arms out there.”
 
Both teams were able to slow down the opponent's running game as not a single base was stolen in the two games. Lewis went 0-for-4 and Indianapolis went 0-for-3 in steal attempts.
 
Indianapolis is now 17-9 (10-4 GLVC). Lewis is 20-8 (11-5 GLVC). The Flyers are one of only three teams in the GLVC to reach 20 wins. The Flyers and Greyhounds finish the series on Saturday in a doubleheader with a noon (ET) start.