Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  / Game 1 Box Score (pdf) | Game 2 Box Score (pdf)

Romeoville, Ill. – The Lewis University baseball team picked up two big Great Lakes Valley Conference victories over Illinois Springfield on Saturday (April 12), collecting an 11-4 win in game one and followed up with a 13-12 win in the night cap at Brennan Field.
 
The Flyers move to 19-15 on the season and 12-9 in GLVC play, while the Prairie Stars fall to 19-15 on the year and 11-11 in league action.
 
"Any time you can win three of four games in this league, that's a good thing," Lewis head baseball coach Tim McDonough said."Hopefully, we can extend this momentum in our big road games against Parkside and Southern Indiana next week."
 
In the first game, UIS scored a single run in the top of the first but the Flyers came back to score three runs in the bottom of the frame. Junior Kane Lombardo (Forest Park, Ill./Nazareth) scored on a single by senior Ben Albano (West Dundee, Ill./Jacobs). Sophomore Austin Mastela (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) followed with a two-run home run to center field to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead.
 
UIS tied the game at 3-all in the top of the second, when Logan Frye hit a two-run home run to left field. The Prairie Stars took the lead in the fourth on a solo home run by Adam Unes.
 
The Flyers quickly retook the lead, at 5-4, when sophomore Joe Sparacio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) hit a two-run blast to left center in the bottom of the third. Lewis added three more runs in the fourth on three hits and two UIS miscues, before tacking on two runs in the fifth and a single run in the sixth.
 
Lewis starter Sam Couch (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic) collected the complete game win. Couch (6-1) gave up four runs on five hits and struck out six.
 
UIS starter Drew Sabol (3-4) took the loss, giving up eight runs, five earned, in three innings of work. Sabol also walked four and struck out two.
 
In the second game, UIS jumped on the board first. The Prairie Stars scored four runs in the top of the third on two walks, a hit batter and two Lewis miscues.
 
The Flyers posted three runs in the bottom of the third, sparked a double by senior Kyle Kapka (Mount Prospect, Ill./Prospect) who scored junior Mike Barajas (Chicago, Ill./Nazareth). Kapka moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Joel Rotkvich (Crestwood, Ill./St. Laurence) before scoring on a wild pitch. Senior Drew Buddle (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) capped off the inning with a solo home run to left center.
 
Lewis batted around in the bottom of the fourth, scoring nine runs on eight hits to take a 12-4 lead. Barajas led off the inning with a solo home run to center field. Kapka crossed the plate on a single by Lombardo before Buddle doubled him in for the third Flyer run of the inning. Mastela singled in Buddle, before Sparacio doubled in Albano and Buddle. Kapka picked up Sparacio with a single before Rotkvich legged out a triple to score Barajas and Kapka.
 
UIS got back in the game by posting back-to-back four-run innings in the top of the seventh and eighth innings, tying the game at 12-12.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Barajas sent the pitch back up the middle to score Mastela for the game-winning run.
 
After getting the final out in the eighth inning, Lewis reliever Kyle Klosak (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) picked up the win as he retired all three batters he faced in the top of the ninth. Klosak (2-1) threw 1.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits.
 
UIS' Frye (1-1) was credited with the loss after giving up one run in four innings in relief.
 
The Flyers head to Somers, Wis., on Wednesday (April 16) to take on UW-Parkside in a mid-week GLVC doubleheader. First pitch at Oberbruner Field is set for 12 PM.