March 27, 2004

Box Score

Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE - Lewis University senior right-hander Matt Tanton collected his second consecutive victory Saturday, an 8-6 decision over Southern Illinois Edwardsville in game one of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader.

In the nightcap, SIUE scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to claim a 5-4 win and earn a split.

Tanton (3-1) pitched 5 1/3 innings of the seven-inning opener and allowed 10 hits, four runs and a walk while striking out three. Dave Tolchin got the final two outs to record his fifth save.

Andy Sweet and Victor Naut had three hits apiece and Brian Davis had two hits to lead Lewis' 12-hit attack. Sweet had a pair of doubles, and Naut launched his sixth home run of the season.

Lewis scored two unearned runs in the first, then made it 4-0 in the second on Sweet's double and Brandon Niewinski (Morris, Ill./Morris)'s squeeze bunt. Darryl Jenkins (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield)' double and Naut's single in the third, both with two outs, gave the Flyers a 6-0 cushion.

SIUE scored twice in the third, but Lewis got those runs back in the sixth when Naut homered with one out and Niewinski's single plated Sweet, who had doubled with two outs.

In the bottom of the sixth, SIUE sliced the Flyer lead to 8-5 on Craig Ohlau's bases-loaded double off reliever David Scheibe. Adam Tallman's pinch-hit homer in the seventh brought SIUE a run closer, and the Cougars had the tying runs at second and third before Tolchin put out the fire.

In game two, Lewis (9-14, 3-5 GLVC) took a 1-0 lead in the third when Sweet doubled and Niewinski singled him home. SIUE (6-17, 3-7 GLVC) took a 2-1 lead in the fourth, but Lewis pulled even in the fifth when Mike Smith (Lemont, Ill./Lemont)'s groundout scored Naut with an unearned run.

The Flyers tallied a run in the seventh on Naut's seventh home run and another in the eighth on Chris Carbonaro (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy)'s two-out double. SIUE matched those runs in each inning, however, setting the stage for Wes Pickering's game-winning hit in the ninth.

Freshman right-hander Greg Moss started and pitched well for the Flyers, yielding nine hits, three runs and a walk while fanning three in 6 2/3 innings. Ryan Johnson (0-1) took the loss.

Sweet had two more hits for the Flyers, who take on SIUE Sunday in another doubleheader that starts at noon.