Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Galesburg, Ill. – The Prairie Fire ran their winning streak to five with a doubleheader sweep of Beloit College on Sunday at Blodgett Field.

Knox came from behind to beat the Buccaneers 9-8 in the 10th inning of the first game before posting a 15-9 win in the finale.

The Prairie Fire and Beloit were tied 8-8 in the bottom of the 10th when first-year Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) hit a two-out single and the Bucs committed an error that scored junior Michael Bohnhoff (Omaha, NE, Mt. Michael Benedictine) with the winning run.  Sanders finished the game 2-for-5 at the plate.

Both teams slugged away at the others' pitching, combining for 17 runs and 23 hits in the first game.  The bullpens were busy with eight pitchers used in the contest as the head coaches of both squads tried to finish it off.

Sophomore hurler Marty Salazar (Normal, IL, Normal Community) recorded the win in relief for Knox. Salazar (1-0) tossed two innings of shutout ball and did not allow a hit.

Sophomore Drew Osborn (Moline, IL, Moline), senior Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates), and first-year Ryan Weitendorf (New Lenox, IL, Lincoln-Way East) had two hits apiece.  Weitendorf drove in three runs and scored twice, Smoy had two RBIs and two runs scored, while Osborn knocked in a run and scored another.
 
Knox grabbed a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third.  Smoy ripped a two-run blast that scored senior Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) for the first runs of the game.  Weitendorf scored when junior Derek Cochran (Auburn, IL, Auburn) drew a bases-loaded walk, and Osborn crossed home plate after Sanders was hit by a pitch.

Beloit cut the Prairie Fire lead in half with two runs in the top of the fifth.  Weitendorf connected for his second home run of the year, a solo shot, in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Knox a 5-2 lead.

The Buccaneers exploded for six runs in the seventh for their first lead of the game, 8-5.

The Prairie Fire battled back to tie the game at 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth.  Weitendorf delivered a two-run single and Osborn reached on a fielder's choice that sent Smoy home with the tying run.

Salazar retired all three batters he faced in the top of the 10th on ground balls, setting the stage for the dramatic win in the next half-inning.

Knox and Beloit lit up the scoreboard in the second game as they combined for 24 runs and 33 hits, including seven for extra bases.

The Prairie Fire jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning.  Tallman singled to drive in the first two runs and Smoy followed with a two-run single to give Knox a cushion.

Like the first game, Beloit battled back by scoring twice in the top of the third.  A triple by sophomore Austin Bevenue (Millstadt, IL, Belleville Althoff) scored Osborn for a 5-2 advantage for the Prairie Fire.

The Bucs plated three runs in the fifth to knot the score at 5-all.  Bevenue belted a two-run homer that allowed Knox to regain the lead at 7-5.

Beloit (7-5) responded with a run-scoring double and an RBI single to draw even at 7-7.

Knox grabbed the lead back with a strong sixth inning. A walk by sophomore Blake Newberg (Moline, IL, Rock Island Alleman) scored Weitendorf, the first of three runs in the inning that put the Prairie Fire on top for good at 10-7.
 
Junior starter Ryder Borre (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) gave up seven runs, four earned, and 11 hits over six innings.   Borre (1-1) struck out four and walked one in picking up his first win of the season.

Bohnhoff, Osborn, Smoy and Bevenue led the Knox offense with a combined 12 hits and 10 runs batted in.  Smoy had his second four hit game in as many days and drove in three runs.  Bevenue was 3-for-3 with a career-high five RBIs, Osborn had three hits and scored three runs, and Bohnhoff chipped in with two hits and two runs scored.
 
Knox (9-4) added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh.  Senior Michael O'Connell (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) singled to score Weitendorf and Bevenue followed with a single that brought in Osborn.

After a two-run homer by Beloit in the top of the eighth, the Prairie Fire came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Knox scored on an RBI single by Smoy, a steal of home by Tallman, and a run-scoring single by Osborn.

Senior Dustin Armstrong (Columbus, OH, Worthington) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and notched his third save of the season.  He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one.

The Prairie Fire have won five in a row.  Knox begins Midwest Conference South Division play with a doubleheader at home against Cornell College on April 5.  The first game against the Rams (8-6) begins at 12:00 p.m.