NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lewis' baseball team swept its doubleheader at Trevecca Nazarene to move to 3-0 on the season. The Flyers took the opener 6-4 and won the nightcap 6-1.
Pitching was the name of the game for Lewis as they held Trevecca Nazarene (3-3) to a .176 batting average and a total of eight runs in the series.
"The story of the weekend was pitching, especially the bullpen," Lewis head baseball coach
Tim McDonough said. "They attacked the zone and got ahead in the count consistently which allowed us to dictate the at bats.
"Offensively we continued to get big two out hits and that allowed us to play with the lead all weekend," McDonough continued. "I was especially pleased with how we played defense and ran the bases since this was our first opportunity to get outside since fall practice."
Game 1 – Lewis 6 Trevecca Nazarene 4
The Flyers scored five runs on five hits and took advantage of an error in the second inning. With the bases loaded,
Michael O'Brien (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) doubled home
Julian Everett (Frankfort, Ill/Lincoln Way East) and
Matt Verdun (Homer Glen, Ill./St. Rita) and an error on the play allowed
Anthony Rios (Lemont, Ill./St. Laurence) to score as well.
Anthony Cavalieri (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) followed with a double down the left field line to score O'Brien to make it 4-0.
Connor Rutherford (DePere, Wis./DePere) then drove in Cavalieri with a single to cap the inning.
The Trojans answered with two in its half of the second on a pair of doubles and a groundout but
Blake Marks (Gardner, Ill./Gardner-South Wilmington) was able to prevent further damage getting a strikeout to end the threat.
TNU scored twice more in the third on Bryant Goolsby's double down the right field line which scored Brandon Hauswald and Javier Lopez. Marks left the tying run on base striking out Chandler Miller to end the inning.
The Flyers tacked on an insurance run in the fourth. With two outs and a runner on second
Ryan Schefske (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) singled to center to score Cavalieri.
Marks allowed a lead-off walk then retired the next two hitters and then was replaced by
Tyler Talbot (Channahon, Ill./Minooka) who struck out Hauswald to end the inning.
Lewis' bullpen threw 2.1 scoreless innings in relief of Marks allowing no hits with four strikeouts but did issue three walks. Talbot retired all three hitters he faced to earn the victory in relief.
Robert Talarico (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) got the final four outs for the save.
O'Brien, Cavalieri, Rutherford and Rios had two hits each in the opener as the Flyers had 12 as a team.
Game 2 – Lewis 6 Trevecca Nazarene 1
In the second game on Saturday, Lewis jumped out to an early lead with a run in the first. With one out, Cavalieri reached on an error, stole second and then scored on
Brandon Post's (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) two out single back up the middle.
The Flyers added to their lead with two more in the second. They loaded the bases with no one out. O'Brien drove in the first run on a fielder's choice as
Austin Tittle (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) scored on a throwing error. After a force out, Rutherford made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to right scoring Everett.
The Trojans scored their lone run in the third with two outs. Hauswald walked, stole second and scored on Dalton Mauldin's single to left center.
Lewis got that run back in the fourth. With one out, Everett tripled and then with two out he scored on Cavalieri's infield single.
The Flyers added two insurance runs in the ninth when Verdun singled home Schefske and Rios to make it 6-1.
Brad Littleton (Coal City, Ill./) went the first six innings allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts against one walk to pick up the win.
Matt McCauley (Oakville, Mo./St. John Vianney) pitched the final three innings retiring all nine hitters he faced with a pair of Ks to earn the save.
"Brad was outstanding today," McDonugh said. "To go six innings in his first start and manage being on a pitch count was huge."
Lewis rapped out nine hits in game two with Post and Everett leading the way with two apiece.
The Flyers return to the diamond next Friday as they travel to Ozark, Mo., to take on Drury in the first of a four-game series beginning at 4 p.m.