Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Galesburg, Ill. – The Prairie Fire and Cornell College each posted a win to begin Midwest Conference play on Saturday at Blodgett Field.

There was no shortage of offense as Knox and Cornell combined for 39 runs and 55 hits in the doubleheader.  The Prairie Fire won the first game 9-7 and the Rams took the finale 13-10.

Knox built a 3-0 lead through the first two innings of the opening contest.  Senior Michael O'Connell (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) drove in the game's first run with a single in the bottom of the first.  The Prairie Fire plated two more runs in the second inning on a double by senior Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates).

The hosts blew the game open with a four-run sixth to go up 7-0.  Senior Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) cracked a two-run double, first-year Ryan Weitendorf (New Lenox, IL, Lincoln-Way East) hit a sac fly to center field that scored first-year Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island), and Smoy stole home in the inning.

Senior Paul Mills (Moline, IL, Moline) shut out Cornell through the first six innings before the Rams made a late push, beginning with an RBI single in the top of the seventh to get on the board.

The Prairie Fire answered with a solo blast by sophomore Blake Newberg (Moline, IL, Rock Island Alleman), his second home run of the season, in the bottom of the seventh inning to reclaim a seven run lead at 8-1.

Cornell cut the Knox lead in half on an RBI single and a two-run homer in the top of the eighth.  The Prairie Fire came back with another run on a double by Weitendorf that scored Sanders to increase the lead to 9-4.

The Rams made it interesting by scoring three runs in the ninth.  First-year Alec Jordan (Spring Grove, IL, Richmond-Burton) came on in relief with runners on second and third and one run in.  He got the second out on a ground ball that scored the runner from third.  The Rams trimmed the deficit to 9-7 with a run on an infield error, and following a single, Jordan recorded the final out of the game on a fly ball to center field to preserve the victory – Knox's sixth in a row.

Mills (2-1) tossed seven innings to earn the win.  He allowed two earned runs and 10 hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Knox banged out 14 hits in the game while Cornell had 12.

Tallman was 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Prairie Fire.  Smoy added two hits and two RBIs and Weitendorf also drove in a pair of runs.

Knox dug out of a six run hole in a back-and-forth game two of the twinbill that Cornell eventually hung on to win.

The Rams (9-7, 1-1 MWC South) led 6-0 going into the bottom of the second inning when Smoy smacked an RBI single for the Prairie Fire.

A wild pitch in the top of the third gave Cornell a 7-1 lead.  Knox responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to pull within three at 7-4.

Sophomore Austin Bevenue (Millstadt, IL, Belleville Althoff) had an RBI single for the first run of the inning.  Newberg came around to score on a wild pitch for the second run, and a sac fly to center by Sanders brought Bevenue home with the third run.

The Prairie Fire came all the way back and took an 8-7 lead on the strength of a four run fourth inning.

O'Connell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Smoy.  Newberg reached on an infield error that allowed first-year Drew Osborn (Moline, IL, Moline) and Weitendorf to score, tying the game 7-7.  Knox took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Bevenue that plated O'Connell.

Cornell responded with a run in the top of the fifth to draw even with Knox 8-8.

The Prairie took their final lead of the game at 9-8 on a solo homer by Weitendorf in the home half of the fifth.

The Rams tied the game 9-9 with a run in the sixth, and took the lead for good at 10-9 with a single tally in the seventh.

Following a scoreless eighth inning by both teams, Cornell picked up three insurance runs in the top of the ninth to stretch the advantage to 13-9.

Knox (10-5, 1-1 MWC South) refused to go away and stayed alive in the bottom of the ninth on Weitendorf's second home run of the game and fourth of the season with two outs.  The Prairie Fire loaded the bases on a single and two walks.  The Rams escaped by getting a fly ball out to right field to earn the win and snap a two-game skid.

Cornell outhit Knox 15-14 in the game.

Sophomore Marty Salazar (Normal, IL, Normal Community) was charged with the loss in relief.  Salazar (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits.

Weitendorf finished 4-for-6 at the dish and scored three runs for the Prairie Fire.  Junior Michael Bohnhoff (Omaha, NE, Mt. Michael Benedictine), Smoy, and Tallman chipped in with two hits apiece.

View photos of the game, and the 2014 season at https://www.flickr.com/photos/knoxcollege/sets/72157635857922636/

Knox and Cornell will meet for the final time in the regular season with another doubleheader on Sunday in Mount Vernon, Iowa.  The first game starts at 12:00 p.m.