Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Galesburg, Ill.  The Prairie Fire continued a recent offensive surge that provided the pitching staff more than enough run support in a doubleheader sweep of Robert Morris University – Springfield on Saturday.

Knox, playing its home opener at Blodgett Field, won the first game 19-1 and followed suit in the twinbill finale with a 19-2 victory over the Eagles.  The Prairie Fire combined for 33 hits -- 10 for extra bases -- in the two games and extended their winning streak to three.

Knox 19  Robert Morris-Springfield 1
 
Robert Morris scored its only run of the game in the top of the first inning off of Knox junior starter Nathaniel Grady (Antelope, CA, Oakmont).  The Prairie Fire answered in the bottom of the first when senior Jackson White (Grayslake, IL, Grayslake Central) doubled home fellow senior Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) to tie the game 1-1.

From there, Knox plated 18 runs -- including five each in the bottom of the second and third -- to post their second straight win.

The Prairie Fire grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second frame on an RBI single by first-year Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island).  Senior Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates) followed with a two-run single, first-year Ryan Weitendorf (New Lenox, IL, Lincoln-Way East) drove home a run with a single, and first-year Drew Osborn (Moline, IL, Moline) made it 6-1 with a run-scoring double.

Weitendorf and White combined to drive in three of the five runs scored by Knox in the third to extend the lead to 11-1.  Weitendorf doubled home a run and White belted a double to drive in two more runners.

The Prairie Fire scored in every inning, tallying eight runs in the fourth through sixth innings.  Senior Bryan Leslie (Richmond, IL, Richmond-Burton) cracked a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth and Tallman drove in the last run of the game with a bases-loaded single in the home half of the sixth.

Grady (2-0) earned the win on the mound after throwing five innings and allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk.  Grady blanked the Eagles over his final four innings of work.  First-years Ken Bartelt (Buffalo Grove, IL, Buffalo Grove) and Alec Jordan (Spring Grove, IL, Richmond-Burton) both pitched one inning of shutout relief.  Jordan retired RMU in order in the top of the seventh.  He struck out two of the three batters he faced.

Six players had two hits apiece for the Prairie Fire, who finished the game with 15.  White was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs, Smoy drove in three runs, while Tallman and Sanders both went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and four runs scored for Knox.  
 
Knox 19  Robert Morris-Springfield 2
 
Knox built a 4-0 lead through the first two innings before RMU scored twice in the top of the third to trim the deficit to 4-2.
 
Smoy singled in a run in the first inning to give the Prairie Fire a 1-0 lead.  Sophomore Blake Newberg (Moline, IL, Rock Island Alleman) drove in Smoy with a double before the Prairie Fire plated their third run in the first frame on an error.  Knox stretched the lead to 4-0 when Smoy drove in another run with a single in the second inning.
 
Robert Morris (5-16) sliced the deficit in half with a two-run single in the fourth inning off senior starter Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, lL, Hinsdale Central), the only runs Marquardt allowed in the game.
 
The Prairie Fire did not score in the bottom of the third, the only inning during the doubleheader Knox failed to send a runner across home plate.  
 
The hosts made up for it with a three-run fourth before putting the game out of reach with eight runs in the home half of the fifth to build the lead to 15-2.  
 
The fifth inning was highlighted by a two-run single by Smoy, a solo home run by Newberg (2), a two-run double by Tallman, and a single by Newberg that plated two runs as Knox batted around.  
 
The Prairie Fire (7-4) tacked on four more runs in the sixth to conclude the scoring.  Knox outhit Robert Morris 18-5.
 
Smoy had another big game at the plate, going 4-for-4 with six RBIs to give him nine knocked in on the day.  Newberg added three hits, five runs batted in, and three runs scored.  Tallman was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored.  First-year Derek Beaupre (Pekin, IL, Pekin) had his best offensive game in a Knox uniform with three hits and two runs batted in.
 
Marquardt (2-1) earned the win in his second strong start of the season for the Prairie Fire.  He surrendered two runs and four hits in six innings while striking out a season-high seven with no walks.  A southpaw, Marquardt has walked only two batters in 17 innings pitched so far this season and has a sparkling 2.12 ERA.
 
Knox tries to build on its three-game win streak against Beloit College on Sunday at Blodgett Field beginning at 12:00 p.m.  The Prairie Fire were originally scheduled play the doubleheader in Beloit, but poor field conditions there prompted moving the games to Knox.  This is the second straight year Knox was slated to play at Beloit, but instead served as the host.
 
The Buccaneers (7-3) also moved Saturday's doubleheader against Monmouth College from Beloit to the Fighting Scots' home baseball field.  The Bucs won the first game against Monmouth 4-0 and lost the second contest 2-0.
 
The Prairie Fire won both meetings against Beloit at Blodgett Field last season 16-9 and 6-5.