Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  \ Game One Box Score (pdf) | Game Two Box Score (pdf)

Romeoville, Ill. – The Lewis University baseball team clinched a Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships Tournament berth for the fifth-straight season with a 5-2 game one victory over Bellarmine on Sunday (May 4) at Brennan Field. In the second game, the Knights collected a 7-1 victory over the Flyers.
 
The Flyers move to 26-23 on the year and went 18-17 against GLVC opponents while the Knights put together a 19-31 record for the season and 10-26 record in the league.
 
"It was good to win three-out-of-four games this weekend," Lewis head baseball coach Tim McDonough said. "We really needed the wins, not knowing what the other teams were going to do, to get into the GLVC Tournament."
 
"We are really happy to get a chance to play another week," McDonough continued. "I thought we played pretty well this weekend and hopefully that momentum will carry into the tournament."
 
In the first game, the Flyers posted all five of their runs on four hits and a Bellarmine error in the second inning. Junior Mike Barajas (Chicago, Ill./Nazareth) singled in sophomore Joe Sparacio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) and senior Kyle Thomas (Homer Glen, Ill./Providence Catholic) came home on a ground out by senior Drew Buddle (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) for the Flyers first two runs of the inning. Senior Jake Murray (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) hit a three-run home run to right field for his ninth home run of the season, scoring Barajas and sophomore Joel Rotkvich (Crestwood, Ill./St. Laurence).
 
Bellarmine got on the board in the fourth when Austin Crutcher hit a solo home run to left field. The Knights other run came in the sixth inning when Crutcher scored on a sacrifice fly by Phillip Leopold.
 
Lewis starter Sam Couch (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic) collected the complete game victory, only allowing two runs on four hits. Couch (7-3) walked two and struck out one.
 
Bellarmine starter Will Birch took the loss, giving up five runs on six hits over three innings of work. Birch (1-3) struck out five and walked three.
 
In the night cap, Bellarmine took an early 1-0 lead when Jes Staples scored on a ground out by Andy Gehr, after stealing second Staples advanced to third on a Lewis throwing error.
 
The Flyers tallied a run in the fourth when senior Ben Albano (West Dundee, Ill./Jacobs) doubled in Buddle after he drew a walk, stole second and moved up to third on a fly ball out by Murray.
 
The Knights posted four runs on three hits and a walk in the top of the fifth to move ahead of the Flyers 5-1. Crutcher hit a three-run, two-out double before the Flyers were able to get out of the inning.
 
Bellarmine added a run in the eighth and ninth innings on five walks and two Lewis errors.
 
Lewis starter Brad Elmore (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) took the loss, giving up five runs, four earned on five hits in five innings of work. Elmore (1-2) struck out four and walked two.
 
Bellarmine hurler Austin Warner collected the win, giving up one run on three hits in seven innings of action. Warner (3-3) struck out four and walked two.
 
Between the games, Lewis honored their 11 seniors including Kendall Paluch (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic), Cory Bonner (Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs), Kegan Banks (Dripping Springs, Texas/Dripping Springs), J.C. Burrell (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park), Kyle Kapka (Mount Prospect, Ill./Prospect), Marshall Escue (Washington, Ill./Washington Community), Alex Slaby (Davenport, Iowa/Davenport West), as well as Thomas, Buddle, Murray and Albano. 

The Flyers wait to hear who they will take on in the first round of the GVLC Championships, hosted by Southern Indiana, starting on Thursday (May 8) in Evansville, Ind.