Championship Central |
Tournament Bracket
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Top seeds University of Illinois Springfield and Lindenwood University advanced to Sunday’s Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Baseball Championship following victories in the winners’ bracket to remain undefeated through the weekend at Lou Brock Sports Complex.
The Prairie Stars and Lions will battle in a winner-take-all contest with first pitched scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on the campus of Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo. Illinois Springfield will make its second straight appearance in the title game – the Prairie Stars advanced to the Championship with a perfect 3-0 mark like this spring – while Lindenwood advances to its first league trophy bout in the sport of baseball.
The University of Southern Indiana and University of Indianapolis baseball programs stayed alive in the early games on Saturday, but ultimately met their demise against the respective division winners. Southern Indiana knocked off Quincy University in the morning contest, while UIndy powered past Lewis University in the afternoon to earn the chance to play a second game on the day. Ultimately, the Prairie Stars and Lions proved too much for their opponents and will meet for the first time since March 6, 2018, and as GLVC members.
DAY THREE RESULTS
#3B Southern Indiana 10, #2G Quincy 4
GLVCSN |
BOX | RECAP:
USI,
QU
Once Quincy University plated the first run of the morning in the bottom of the first, the Screaming Eagle offense came alive to build a 10-1 lead after their at-bat in the fifth. Patience was as important as ever for Southern Indiana, which drew 11 walks in Saturday’s opening game. Manny Lopez tied the game at one apiece in the third with an RBI double before accepting the first of three straight run-scoring walks in the fourth. USI added on in the sixth with a homer from Lucas McNew and single by Kobe Stephens. Quincy scored three more times before the end of the game but was unable to come back from the nine-run deficit, becoming the third team of the weekend to be eliminated.
Austin Gossman, who earned the save against the Hawks on Thursday afternoon, gave the Screaming Eagles a huge performance on the bump. The senior went the distance on 132 pitches, striking out six over the nine frames and inducing 13 groundouts.
Stephens paced Southern Indiana offensively, driving in three with a 4-for-6 effort at the plate. Four players finished with multiple hits, including Bryce Krizan and Ethan Hunter.
#2B UIndy 7, #4B Lewis 1
GLVCSN |
BOX | RECAP:
UINDY,
LEWIS
UIndy received its second straight complete game from a starting pitcher in the GLVC tournament, as Myc Witty went the distance to lead the Greyhounds to a 7-1 victory and an elimination of Blue Division rival Lewis. The senior struck out just one Flyer in the shutout, scattering six hits over nine innings.
John Carpinelli opened the scoring for UIndy with a three-run homer in the first inning, then added another RBI via sacrifice fly in the fifth. Trey Smith and Hunter Waning added run-scoring singles later to grow the team’s lead to seven, before Lewis’ Angelo Cantelo put the Flyers on the board with a solo shot in the seventh. Witty sent down the final four batters for Lewis to advance UIndy to the night cap.
Eight Greyhounds recorded a knock in the win, with Smith adding two. Caleb Vaughn, who drilled a walk-off two-run dinger in the tournament’s first game, finished with a double.
#1G Illinois Springfield 7, #3B Southern Indiana 1
GLVCSN |
BOX | RECAP:
UIS,
USI
USI’s Kobe Stephens singled through the right side to tie the game at one apiece in the third, but that would be it for the Screaming Eagle offense on Saturday afternoon before bowing out of the GLVC tournament. Illinois Springfield pounced on opposing pitcher Carter Stamm early, with Austin Alderman scurrying around the bases to score from a Brandon Barnard single in the second. Chris Mathieu drove in four runs for the Prairie Stars, including a three-run homer in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Nick Mayerhofer and Kal Youngquist added run-scoring singles in the fourth and eighth, respectively, to put a bow on the offense on Saturday.
Chad Saner tossed 5.1 innings for UIS, allowing one unearned run on four hits and a pair of walks. Cade Sestak threw the only perfect frame of any of the four UIS relievers, striking out one and inducing two groundouts.
Brandon Bannon joined Alderman and Mathieu with two hits apiece, while Zion Pettigrew tacked on a triple before scoring in the eighth.
#1B Lindenwood 9, #2B UIndy 0
GLVCSN |
BOX | RECAP:
LWU,
UINDY
A pair of crooked numbers in the middle innings highlighted Lindenwood’s attack on Saturday night, scoring a combined nine runs in the fifth and sixth to overcome the last elimination-bracket team remaining in UIndy. The Lions stole six bases in the win – including three in those offensive-heavy frames – as well as forced the issue on the basepaths to keep the Greyhounds on their heels and make mistakes. Lindenwood demonstrated timely hitting, hitting 5-for-9 at one point with runners on base.
Niko Marshall went 5.2 innings on the bump for the Lions, striking out five in a clean 100 pitches.
Multiple Lions drove in two runs against Greyhound pitching, including Will Lanxon, Beau Collier, and Johnny Herrman. Brody Roached closed the final 3.1 innings to earn the save.