March 24, 2010

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Game One Box Score in PDF Format

Game Two Box Score in PDF Format

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lewis scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie in game two of a non-conference doubleheader with Upper Iowa on Wednesday afternoon. The Flyers' pen made the two runs hold up as Lewis won 3-1. The victory came after an 11-8 defeat in game one.

Lewis had runners at first and third with one out in the sixth when sophomore Cameron Anello (Homer Glen, Ill./Brother Rice) pinch hit for senior Ryan McManaman (Waukegan, Ill./Waukegan) in a 1-1 game. After fouling off multiple two-strike pitches, Anello hit a hard ground ball to shortstop. The ball took a wild hop over the Upper Iowa shortstop into the outfield to score freshman Brian Norwood (Medinah, Ill./Lake Park). While the hop was fortunate, Lewis was likely to score a run on the play anyway as junior Mike Vucsko (Evergreen Park, Ill./Marist), who pinch ran at first, was on the move on the play making a double play unlikely.

Freshman Derek Thomas (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) followed with a line drive to left which scored Vucsko from third for an insurance run.

"Cameron battled in his at bat," head coach Tim McDonough said. "He saw 10 plus pitches and got us a big run. Plus we came through with an add-on run."

Junior Matt Zicher (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey/Triton) started the seventh on the mound after pitching a scoreless sixth out of the pen. After Zicher walked the leadoff batter in the seventh, Lewis closer Ted Bartnik (Diamond, Ill./Coal City/Illinois Valley CC) entered the game. He walked the first man he saw and following a sacrifice bunt the Peacocks had runners at second and third with one out. Bartnik struck out the next batter to put Lewis an out away from the victory, but proceeded to walk the next hitter to load the bases. However Bartnik shut the door on Upper Iowa cleanup hitter Seth Fox by getting him to pop out to first base.

Bartnik earned his fourth save of the season. Zicher moved his record to 2-0 by receiving the victory. Sophomore Pat Lahey (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) started but earned a no-decision. He allowed one run on four hits in five innings while fanning six Upper Iowa batters.

The Peacocks scored their only run of the game in the fourth but it could have been worse. Lahey worked out of a one out, runners on second and third jam by earning a strikeout and a fielder's choice to end the threat.

While game two was a pitchers' duel, game one was anything but. Sophomore Michael Wido (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) hit his second home run of the season in the bottom of the second to tie the game at one, however it didn't stay that way for long. Upper Iowa took control of the game with eight runs in the top of the third. The inning chased Lewis starter junior Charles Gille (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) who earned the loss to drop his record to 0-2.

Despite the big inning to make it 9-1, Lewis scored three in their bottom half and left the base loaded thanks to a sliding catch by Peacocks' leftfielder Jordan Nuss on a hit off the bat of junior Richard Forkin (Orland Park, Ill./Lockport).

Lewis added two more in the fourth to make it a 9-6 game. Upper Iowa earned a double play in the bottom of the sixth to halt Lewis' final rally of the game.

Wido finished with three RBI on three hits in the game.

"We had one bad inning cost us in game one," McDonough said. "For 13 innings we played pretty good baseball today."

Upper Iowa moves to 3-7 while Lewis is 13-12. The Flyers return to conference play this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders at UW-Parkside on Saturday and Sunday.