May 3, 2009

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Lewis baseball team split a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against UW-Parkside on Sunday by scores of 10-4 and 9-6. Despite playing on their home field, Lewis was the visiting team in both games as they were originally scheduled to be played at UW-Parkside but were moved to dryer ground in Romeoville.

Lewis scored three in the third inning of game one thanks to an RBI double by sophomore Richard Forkin (Orland Park, Ill./Lockport) that scored junior Ryan McManaman (Waukegan, Ill./Waukegan). Sophomore Mike Vucsko (Evergreen Park, Ill./Marist) who walked, scored on a wild pitch. Forkin then scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Chris McCall (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest)'s (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest/College of DuPage CC).

The Rangers added three runs in the bottom half to knot it up. In the fifth McCall broke the tie with a two-out two-run home run to right centerfield. Junior Scott Householder (Berwyn, Ill./St. Josephs/Triton) then singled to right, stole second and advanced to third on a throw by the Rangers' catcher that landed in center field. Senior Tim Bingham (Plainfield, Ill./Westland, Mi./John Glenn), who finished the season with a team-high 36 RBI, then singled Householder home.

Lewis added two more in the sixth on a McCall walk with the bases loaded and a wild pitch to make the score 8-3. Two UW-Parkside errors in the seventh helped make it a 10-3 game before Dave Watson hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh to make the final 7-4.

Freshman Pat Lahey (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) took his mark to 3-8, allowing three earned runs on nine hits and no walks in 5.1 innings of work.

"The first game was a good team win," head coach Tim McDonough said. "We pitched pretty well and had timely hits."

Lewis held the lead for most of game two but was undone by a six-run seventh inning by the Rangers.

Following a UW-Parkside two spot in the bottom of the second inning, the Flyers scored three in the next half inning. Forkin doubled with two outs to bring McCall to the plate. McCall homered over the center field wall on a 3-1 count to knot the game at two. Householder followed with his own home run. The back-to-back jacks gave Lewis a short lived 3-2 lead, as the Rangers put one on the board in the bottom half of the inning.

However Lewis took the lead back in the top of the fourth on a double by Vucsko with two outs that drove in Bingham.

It was the same score in the bottom of the fifth when sophomore Charles Gille (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) earned his fourth double play of the game. He then left the bases loaded in the sixth after two errors had the Rangers threatening. Gille earned a no decision, allowing three runs in six innings.

Freshman Ryan Servos (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) took the mound in the seventh and recorded just one out before leaving the game with the Rangers up 6-5 and runners on first and third. Freshman Drew Hicks (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) entered the game and earned a ground ball to shortstop sophomore Vinnie Campagna (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett). It could have been the Flyers' fifth double play of the game and ended the inning, but instead Campagna couldn't pick it up and all runners were safe. UW-Parkside pushed three more across the plate to take a 9-4 lead.

Lewis cut it to 9-6 on a two-run home run by McCall in the eighth, but they could get no closer.

"It was great to see Chris (McCall) and Tim (Bingham) hit home runs in their final game," McDonough said.

Hicks' appearance in the seventh was his 28th of the season. It ties him for the most appearances in a season in Lewis history. Ryan Johnson of the 2002 club also made 28 appearances.

Lewis finishes the year 20-32 (8-19 GLVC), the most wins by a Lewis team in seven years.

"The 20 wins is a good building block," McDonough added. "Obviously we're disappointed in the final results but I'm pleased with the direction of the program."