ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lewis University baseball team split with Upper Iowa Friday (March 1), picking up a 15-10 win in the opener and dropping an 8-7 decision in the finale at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. With the split Lewis moves to 5-4 on the season, while Upper Iowa is 1-1.

"It was great to see the bats carry over from last Sunday," Lewis baseball coach Tim McDonough said. "I thought we swung the bats very well again today. We're real close to getting where we need to be heading into conference play next week."

Game 1 - Lewis 15 Upper Iowa 10
Upper Iowa jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top half of the first inning, but the Flyers responded with six in the bottom half of the first. Ryan Schefske (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) tripled with the bases loaded to even the score. After Schefske scored on a balk, Matt McCauley (Oakville, Mo./St. John Vianney) doubled to score Matt Verdun (Homer Glen, Ill./St. Rita). Michael O'Brien (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) finished the scoring with a RBI single.

Lewis scored two more in the third inning when the Flyers scored on a pair of unearned runs. The Peacocks got a run back in the top of the third to make it 8-4 but Lewis scored three more in the bottom half of the third to make it 13-4 as Schefske, Verdun and Anthony Rios (Lemont, Ill./St. Laurence) all had RBI doubles.

The Flyers added four more in the fifth as Rios had a two-RBI double and McCauley added a two-RBI single. Upper Iowa responded with three runs in the sixth and seventh innings each, but the Flyers were able to hold on for the seven inning win.

Blake Marks (Gardner, Ill./Gardner-South Wilmington) (1-1) picked up the win, going five innings, allowing eight hits and four earned runs, striking out seven. Andrew Tenison (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Rios went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and three RBI. McCauley went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Schefske went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI. Connor Rutherford (DePere, Wis./DePere) added a pair of hits and scored three times, while Anthony Cavalieri (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) also had two hits.

Game 2 - Upper Iowa 8, Lewis 7
The Flyers tallied a run in the first on a Schefske RBI single and two more in the second on a Brandon Post (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) single and an error to take a 3-0 lead. Upper Iowa came back with four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-3 lead, but the Flyers answered in the bottom of the third with two runs for a 5-4 lead. Cavalieri had a sacrifice fly and Rutherford's single gave Lewis the lead.

Lewis extended the lead in the fourth when O'Brien singled home a run for a 6-4 lead. The Peacocks got a run back in the sixth and scored three times in the ninth to take an 8-6 lead. The Flyers got to within a run when Post scored on a wild pitch, but the tying run was stranded on third and the winning run was left on second to end the game.

Alexander Morales (1-0) earned the win for Upper Iowa, allowing one earned run in five innings of work. Verdun (0-1) picked up the loss for the Flyers, giving up three unearned runs in relief. Robert Talarico (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) pitched three innings, allowing two hits and one earned run, while Ryan Ward (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) pitched a shutout inning of relief. Post went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, while Rutherford, Schefske and O'Brien all had two hits.

"Ryan Ward (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) and Robert Talarico (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) were outstanding again today out of the bullpen," McDonough said. "Tenison did a nice job of shutting the door in game one."

Lewis opens Great Lakes Valley Conference play March 9 when it travels to Missouri-St. Louis for a double-header, beginning at 12 p.m.