ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Giving up just one run in 16 innings is a formula for a doubleheader sweep and that's exactly what Lewis baseball earned on Saturday (April 18) at Brennan Field over defending national champion Southern Indiana. Lewis won game 4-0 and game two 2-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference series.

Game One – Lewis 4, Southern Indiana 0 (HTML Box Score / PDF Box Score)
Lewis scored four runs in the first inning thanks to two hits and two Southern Indiana errors. Junior Austin Mastela (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) and freshman Ethan Bloom (Schaumburg, Ill./Hoffman Estates) each had an RBI in the inning. Both then came around to score when a ground ball off the bat of junior Kurt Becker (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) went through the legs of Southern Indiana's first baseman.
 
The four runs stood up thank to the pitching of freshman Ryan Fox (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville). The newcomer went all 7.0 innings for his first career complete game shutout. Fox retired 13 of the final 14 batters. Fox's record is 4-4. His biggest challenge was in the second when Southern Indiana loaded the bases. However, he worked a fielder's choice to end the inning without Southern Indiana scoring.
 
Bloom finished with two hits, run scored and a RBI for the Flyers.
 
Southern Indiana's Matt Chavarria threw 6.0 innings to get the loss. He is now 4-3.
 
Game Two – Lewis 2, Southern Indiana 1 (HTML Box Score / PDF Box Score)
The Screaming Eagles and Flyers were scoreless until the eighth inning. A two out single by Bloom put runners at first an third. Becker took the first pitch he saw to right field to score freshman Neal Tyrell (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) and put the Flyers up 1-0. Later in the inning, junior Joe Sparacio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) added a bases loaded walk for Lewis' second run.

"Kurt was able to deliver today," Lewis head coach Tim McDonough "That was a great at-bat Joe had getting the walk with the bases loaded. He did a great job laying off some tough pitches to get that extra run and that was huge."  

The insurance run came in handy. The Flyers went to sophomore Sam Couch (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic) to close out the game in the ninth. Following a ground out to start the inning, a double, single and double followed to make the score 2-1. With the tying run on third and the potential winning run on second with one out, Couch went to work. He struck out the next two batters on six called strikes. The back-to-back strikeouts gave Couch his sixth save of the season.

Southern Indiana's defense helped keep the game scoreless midway through the game. Junior Brandon Collins (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln Way North) was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second in the fifth inning with two outs. Tryell came to the plate and hit a single to right field. Southern Indiana Kyle Kempf threw a strike to the plate to throw out senior Kane Lombardo (Forest Park, Ill./Nazareth) who was trying to score from second. 

In the top of the seventh, it was Lewis' turn to keep the opposition off the scoreboard as Southern Indiana loaded the bases with two outs. Sophomore Brad Elmore (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) worked a fly out to centerfield to get out of the jam.
 
All told on Saturday Lewis limited Southern Indiana to one run in 16 innings with 15 of the 16 innings thrown by freshmen or sophomores. Senior Phil Warner (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) threw a scoreless eighth to get the win and his first decision of the season. Freshman Dalton Hottle (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) started for Lewis. He allowed two hits in five scoreless innings for a no-decision.

"For Ryan to come out and shut them down in game one and for Dalton to come back on short rest with help from the bullpen there (was really big)," Lewis head coach Tim McDonough said. "One run in 16 innings is a great effort from our pitching staff."

Southern Indiana's Scott Haag allowed both of Lewis' runs in the eighth to get the loss. He is 1-3.

The Screaming Eagles fall to 16-19 (13-15 GLVC). Lewis improves to 18-19 (13-15 GLVC). The Flyers play at St. Francis in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday in a 7 p.m. start.