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

St. Louis, Mo. – Lewis University senior Ben Albano (West Dundee, Ill./Jacobs) hit a solo home run to give the baseball team a game one 1-0 victory over Maryville on Sunday (March 23) at Weber Field. A home run in the second game by senior Jake Murray (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North), set the tone as the Flyers collected a 6-3 victory over the Saints.
 
The Flyers improve to 10-9 on the year and 4-3 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play while the Saints fall to 6-11 on the season and 4-4 in league action.
 
"It was good to come back and get both wins after two tough losses to Maryville yesterday," Lewis head baseball coach Tim McDonough said. "Our pitchers continued to put together solid performances over the whole weekend."
 
Albano's home run to right centerfield in the fifth inning was enough run support for game one starter Lewis freshman Sam Couch (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic) who collected his fourth win of the season. Couch (4-0) threw seven innings, scattering five hits, three walks and striking out four.
 
Maryville starter Brandon Sarkissian (1-2) was tagged with the loss. Sarkissian threw six innings, gave up one run on two hits and struck out six.
 
In the second game, Lewis jumped on the board as senior Drew Buddle (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) legged out a triple to start off the first inning. Junior Mike Barajas (Chicago, Ill./Nazareth) collected the RBI with a base hit, before Murray pulled an one-out solo home run to deep right field to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.
 
Maryville cut Lewis' lead in half in the third inning as Nate Steffler scored on a double by Kaleb Depew. The Flyers answered with a run in the fourth to increase their lead back to two runs, at 3-1 as senior Kyle Kapka (Mount Prospect, Ill./Prospect) doubled then scored on a groundout by freshman Jared Pyatt (Pekin, Ill./Pekin).
 
The Saints picked up two runs in the top of the fifth taking advantage of a walk and two doubles in the inning to tie the game at 3-all.
 
The Flyers scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 5-3 as sophomore Joel Rotkvich (Crestwood, Ill./St. Laurence) led off the inning with a single and a stolen base. Barajas followed with a single as Murray walked to load the bases. Albano drew a walk to force Rotkvich in before Kapka hit a sacrifice fly to score Barajas.  
 
Lewis added an insurance run in the eighth inning after Albano singled, stole second base and scored on a single by sophomore Austin Mastela (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport).
 
Lewis game two starter Brad Elmore (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) tallied his first win of the season putting together a five-inning effort. Elmore (1-1) gave up three runs on four hits, struck out four and walked two. Sophomore Nick Davito (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport) collected his first save with a 1.2 innings of work, striking out one.

Maryville's Brett Handcock (1-2) was tagged with the loss after 4.1 innings of work. Handcock gave up five runs on nine hits and struck out one.
 
The Flyers are back in action on Wednesday (March 26) when they take on Upper Iowa in Fayette, Iowa, for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 PM at Robertson Woods Field.