LIBERTY, Mo. – Lewis' baseball team split a doubleheader at William Jewell dropping the first game 9-8 but bounced back to win the nightcap 12-8 on Saturday afternoon at Talley Stadium in Liberty, Mo. The Flyers are 5-5 on the season and 1-1 in GLVC action while the Cardinals are 8-5, 1-1 GLVC.

"I'm proud of the way we bounced back in game two to come away with the split," Lewis head baseball coach Tim McDonough said. "We showed some toughness and resolve after giving away a big lead to grind that one out.

Lewis had 28 hits in the doubleheader and were led by Anthony Rios (Lemont, Ill./St. Laurence) with six hits while Ryan Schefske (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) had five hits. Julian Everett (Frankfort, Ill/Lincoln Way East) and Austin Tittle (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) finished with three hits apiece. 10 different players had a hit in the doubleheader and nine of them had at least two hits.

"The hitters were locked in all day," McDonough said. "I thought we constantly put pressure on their pitchers."

Game One – William Jewell 9 Lewis 8
WJC scored two runs in the bottom of the first on a two out double down the right field line with the bases loaded off the bat of Jade Smoot.

Lewis got a run back in the second. Rios led off the inning with a double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Joe Preusser's (Orland Park, Ill./Brother Rice) single through the right side of the infield.

The Flyers tied the game in the fourth. Tittle doubled down the left field line to start the inning, advanced to third on Preusser's flyout to right and scored on Chris Zeschke's (Oak Lawn, Ill./Richards) single up the middle.

Lewis scored four runs on five hits in the fifth to take its first lead of the game. Rios drove in Dalton Crowder (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield East) and Anthony Cavalieri (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) with a one out double to left center. Later in the inning Zeschke drove in Tittle and Preusser with a double down the left field line.

The Cardinals scored three runs on three hits and an error in its half of the fifth to cut the Flyer lead to 6-5.

Lewis got a run back in the seventh on Tittle's double to left center to bring home Schefske to make it 7-5.

WJC scored four runs on three hits and an error in the bottom of the seventh to take a 9-7 lead. Smoot had the big hit in the inning delivering a two-run double to right center.

The Flyers cut the lead to 9-8 in the eighth on Cavalieri's sac fly to left scoring Patrick Keaty (South Elgin, Ill./South Elgin). Lewis had a chance to retake the lead but left two runners on base to end the inning.

The Flyers were retired in order in the ninth.

Lewis had 13 hits in the opener with Rios recording three of them while Tittle, Preusser, Zeschke and Schefske had two hits each.

Jake Lotz (Palos Hills, Ill./St. Laurence) took the loss in the opener allowing four runs, two earned, on three hits and didn't retire a batter in his outing.

"Game one was a back and forth affair and it really came down to us not executing on the mound and defensively," McDonough said. "I thought we had the game under control but the bottom of the seventh snakebit us."

Game Two – Lewis 12 William Jewell 8
The Flyers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning scoring on five hits. Angelo Cantelo (Blue Island, Ill./Marian Catholic) drove in two of those runs with a single down the left field line. Schefske had an RBI double in the inning and Everett drove in a run with a single to left.

William Jewell got a run back in its half of the first on two hits in the frame.

Lewis added to its lead in the fourth on Cantelo's home run to left and got another run in the fifth on Rios RBI single to left.

The Cardinals scored four times on four hits in the fifth highlighted by Nick Modrcin's three-run homer to right make the score 6-5.

WJC took the lead in the sixth on Christian Chalabi's two-run homer to left center.

The Flyers answered back with two runs in the seventh on Schefske's two-run homer to center field.

The Cardinals tied the game again in the seventh on an RBI single from Ben Pautler.

Lewis regained the lead in the eighth as Preusser scored from third on a passed ball with two outs in the inning. The Flyers tacked on three insurance runs in the ninth with two of those coming on Everett's single up the middle to score Rios and Cantelo.

Lewis rapped out 15 hits in the second game and were led by Schefske and Everett with three apiece. Schefske, Cantelo and Everett combined to drive in nine of the 12 runs.

Ryan Ward (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) picked up his first win of the season in relief of Ben Davis (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township). Ward allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits in his two innings of work. Lotz bounced back from his rough outing in the opener retiring all six hitters he faced with three strikeouts to record his third save of the season.

"Jake was outstanding in game two after a rough outing in game one," McDonough said. "He's a competitor and wanted the ball and did a great job getting the last six outs."

The Flyers and Cardinals wrap up their three-game series on Sunday starting at 12 p.m. at Talley Stadium.