Game One
Game Two
The Prairie Fire's two game winning streak ended Tuesday against Beloit College, which won both games of a doubleheader 5-1 and 13-8 at The Ballpark at Strong Stadium in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Buccaneers starting pitcher Alex Norman (3-1) threw a seven inning complete game in the first contest to earn the victory. He allowed just two hits and struck out five. Beloit's Mike Ross was a thorn in the Prairie Fire's side offensively with three hits and two runs batted in.
Sophomore Ryan Stoens (Bartonville, Illinois) got the starting nod for the Fire and was tagged with the loss. He surrendered five hits and three earned runs in two innings to fall to 0-2 on the season. The big hits against him were a run-scoring double and an RBI single in the first inning followed by an RBI double in the second frame.
First-year hurler Jackson White (Grayslake, Illinois) tossed a scoreless third inning and senior Logan Willits (Aledo, Illinois) kept the Fire in the game win two innings of shutout relief. The Bucs added a pair of RBI singles against sophomore reliever Gabe Ayers (Hanna City, Illinois) in the bottom half of the sixth inning.
Senior Jordan Ball (Cuba, Illinois) accounted for both hits for the Prairie Fire (4-7) against Norman. His RBI double in the second inning provided the team's only run. The Prairie Fire threatened in the fifth inning when Ball singled and sophomore infielder Doug Lillibridge (Byron, Illinois) reached base on a fielder's choice and moved into scoring position with Ball on a Beloit error. A double play ground out that followed prevented Knox from scoring.
Beloit had 11 hits in the game against the four Knox pitchers.
The doubleheader finale, unlike the first game, featured a lot of offense. Unfortunately for the Prairie Fire, Beloit plated three runs each in the second, third, fifth and eighth innings as well as a single tally in the fourth in a 13 run outburst. The Bucs outhit Knox 12-10.
First-year pitcher Paul Mills (Moline, Illinois) drew the starting assignment for the Prairie Fire. Beloit scored three unearned runs on three hits off of Mills, who gave way to Jordan Ball in the bottom of the third inning. Ball (0-2) gave up four runs, all of them earned, three hits and walked four in his two innings of work.
Knox scored three runs in the top of the third to tie the game at 3-3 when junior David Jewell (Spring Grove, Illinois) came through with a single with two outs and the bases loaded, scoring everyone. A strikeout following Jewell's big hit prevented any further damage by the Prairie Fire.
The Buccaneers answered with three runs off of Ball in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly and a two-run double to grab a 6-3 lead.
First-year pitcher Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, Illinois) took the mound in the fifth inning and surrendered three earned runs on two hits and walked three. Senior Zach Ricketts (Galesburg, Illinois) threw a scoreless sixth inning. First-year Bryan Leslie (Richmond, Illinois) pitched the final two innings for the Prairie Fire. He allowed three runs, one of them earned, and three hits with two walks.
The Fire scored a run apiece in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings while Beloit tallied four runs in the bottom half of those frames for a 10-6 lead going after six innings of play. Knox got within 10-8 by scoring twice in the seventh with two out hits. First-year infielder Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, Illinois) doubled home both runs against Bucs reliever Allen Loth. The Fire touched him up for three runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings of work. Dan Edwards came on in relief of Loth and got first-year infielder Mike O'Connell (Park Ridge, Illinois) to fly out and escape the jam.
Beloit put the game out of reach with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Closer Mike Kovach pitched two scoreless innings, including a 1-2-3 ninth, to earn his first save of the season for the Buccaneers.
The Prairie Fire, after four scheduled home games March 26 and 27 were postponed because of cold weather, plays at Blodgett Field for the first time this season this weekend.
Grinnell College and Knox sqare off Saturday in a pair of nine inning Midwest Conference South Division games. The Pioneers (4-11) played 11 games and went 3-8 between March 20 and March 27 in Winter Haven, Florida. Grinnell won its last game in Florida 14-13 against Trinity College by breaking a 13-13 tie with a run in the ninth inning to snap a four-game losing skid.
The game times against Grinnell are at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Knox resumes play at home Sunday with a rescheduled twinbill against Washington University - St. Louis. The two seven inning games against the Bears (13-11), winners of three of their last four, begin at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
