ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Lewis University's baseball team split on the first day of its four-game weekend series against the Maryville Saints on Friday afternoon. The Saints took the opener of the doubleheader 12-4, and the Flyers answered in game two scoring a season-high 17 runs in a 17-1 victory.
Game One – Maryville 12 Lewis 4
Lewis (16-14, 14-12 GLVC) jumped out to an early lead on
Anthony Cavalieri's (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) one out homer down the right field line.
Maryville (13-17, 11-11 GLVC) tied the game in the second on an RBI single down the right field line off the bat of Jackson Burrell scoring Ben Hopkins.
The Saints took the lead in the third inning hitting two home runs in the frame. Elias Stevens broke the tie with solo blast to right center and later in the inning Alex Hoff launched a three-run bomb to left field to make it 5-1.
Maryville extended its lead to 6-1 in the fifth on Joey Polak's homer to center to lead off the fifth.
The Flyers got two runs back in their half of the fifth as
Austin Tittle (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) led off the inning with a home run to right center. Later in the inning,
Michael O'Brien (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) doubled to left center scoring
Julian Everett (Frankfort, Ill/Lincoln Way East). Cavalieri tried to score on the play as well but was thrown out at the plate.
The Saints made it 7-4 as Dominic Connolly hit the team's fourth home run of the contest with two out in the sixth. Maryville added some insurance with five runs in the seventh for the final margin.
Lewis had six hits in the contest and was led by Cavalier and Tittle with two hits apiece.
Brad Littleton (Coal City, Ill./) pitched the first 5.2 innings allowing seven runs on seven hits while striking out nine and walking four to fall to 5-4 on the season.
Game Two – Lewis 17 Maryville 1
The Flyers scored multiple runs in four of the first five innings and cruised to a 17-1 victory in the nightcap.
Kevin Barry (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) opened the scoring driving in Cavalieri and
Michael O'Brien (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) with a double to left center. Barry scored later in the inning after a pair of wild pitches.
Maryville got a run back in the second on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Schuler.
Lewis responded with two more runs in the second on Everett's double down the right field line scoring Tittle and
Michael Alt (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly).
The Flyers added five more runs in the third. Tittle drove in
Jackson Dvorak (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) with a single through the left side of the infield. Alt drove in two with a double to right center and Everett capped the inning with a two-run bomb to right to make it 10-1.
Lewis tacked on seven more runs in the fifth as Dvorak hit a grand slam down the left field line. Barry went back-to-back with Dvorak hitting a solo shot to center. After a walk to
Anthony Rios (Lemont, Ill./St. Laurence), Tittle hit a two-run homer to left to cap the scoring.
That was all the run support that
Jake Karaba (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) needed as he held the Saints to just one run on three hits with 11 strikeouts in six innings pitched to improve to 5-1 on the season.
Cam Lander (Morris, Ill./Coal City) pitched the seventh retiring three of the four hitters he faced.
Eight different Flyers had at least one hit in the contest with Barry leading the way with three of those. Everett, O'Brien, Tittle and Alt had two hits apiece. Everett and Dvorak drove in four runs each while Tittle and Barry drove in three runs apiece.
Lewis and Maryville meet again in game three of the weekend series on Saturday afternoon at noon at Brennan Field.
