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2015 Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic
March 17-21 Fort Myers, FL

GAMES #7 & #8 vs. Edgewood College (3/21/15)   Box Score (Game #7)  Box Score (Game #8)
The Prairie Fire received another strong pitching performance in a 3-2 victory against Edgewood in the first game of a doubleheader at Terry Park.  The Eagles came back to take the finale 17-9, preventing Knox from leaving Florida with a sweep and a third straight win overall.

Sophomore Drake Sykes (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) gave Knox a 1-0 lead in the opener with a single in the first inning that scored sophomore Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island).  Edgewood tied it up with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second.

The Prairie Fire took the lead for good on an RBI double by Sykes in the bottom of the third.  He came around to score on a single by sophomore Ryan Weitendorf (New Lenox, IL, Lincoln-Way East) for a 3-1 advantage.

The Eagles scored their only other run of the game in the top of the fourth.

Senior Ryder Borre (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) pitched 5.2 innings and struck out six to earn the win.  Sophomore Alex Bell (Elgin, IL, Burlington Central) got the call from the bullpen in the top of the sixth with two runners aboard and two out.  After a walk that loaded the bases, Bell slammed the door shut with a strikeout.  He worked a 1-2-3 seventh to pick up the save.

Sykes went 3-for-3 at the plate while Sanders and Weitendorf both had two hits.

Edgewood (3-7) stormed back in the second game after Knox took an early 2-0 lead on a double by Weitendorf and a single off the bat of first-year Matt McCaffrey (Wilmette, IL, New Trier).

The Eagles erased the deficit with six runs in the bottom of the second.  The Prairie Fire (3-6) got two runs back in the top of the third on an error that scored Weitendorf and first-year Theo Mills (Wilmington, IL, Wilmington).

Edgewood plated three more runners in the third and seven in the fourth for a 16-4 cushion.

Sykes added a run-scoring single in the fifth and Weitendorf followed with his first home run of the season, a three-run shot.  Senior Andrew Sparrow (Sullivan, IL, Sullivan) doubled in a run in the seventh after the Eagles pushed their last run across in the bottom of the fifth.

First-year pitcher Zach Chainuck (Plainfield, IL, Plainfield East) absorbed the loss in his second start of the young season.  He surrendered nine runs (seven earned) and 11 hits in three innings.

Weitendorf led Knox with four runs batted in and three runs scored.  Sanders finished the second game with two hits, two runs scored, and a stolen base.

The Prairie Fire return home for their first game of the season at Blodgett Field on Wednesday against Robert Morris University-Peoria at 3:00 p.m.  The game was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday but has to be moved back one day because of wet weather.


GAMES #5 & #6 vs. Lasell College (3/20/15)   Box Score (Game #5)   Box Score (Game #6)
Good pitching and timely hitting lifted the Prairie Fire to a 5-2 win in the second game of a doubleheader against Lasell, which won the opener 12-6, at Player Development Complex in Fort Myers.

Knox overcame a 2-1 deficit in the finale with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to move in front for good.  First-year Matt McCaffrey (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) walked with the bases loaded to force in the tying run.  Sophomore Alex Bell (Elgin, IL, Burlington Central) followed with an RBI single for a 3-2 lead.  Sophomore Derek Beaupre (Pekin, IL, Pekin) made it 4-2 with a ground ball that scored fellow sophomore Ryan Weitendorf (New Lenox, IL, Lincoln-Way East).

The Prairie Fire (2-5) extended the lead to 5-2 on a run-scoring single to right by sophomore Drake Sykes (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) in the bottom of the sixth.

Junior Marty Salazar (Normal, IL, Normal Community) pitched 4.1 innings of three hit relief to earn the win.  He came on and recorded the third out in the top of the third inning, stranding a pair of Lasell baserunners in a 1-1 game.  Salazar allowed only one run – an RBI single in the fourth – to go with two strikeouts and one walk.

Sophomore Drake Sykes (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) had a big game for Knox with three hits, three stolen bases, and two RBIs.

In the opener, the Lasers (3-6) plated five runs in the bottom of the first and never trailed after the Prairie Fire scored twice in the top half of the inning.  Sykes doubled home sophomore Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) for a 1-0 lead and McCaffrey drove in Sykes with a single for a brief two-run edge.

Lasell added two runs in the bottom of the second to go up 7-2.  A three-run third by Knox that included RBI singles from McCaffrey and Bell closed the gap to 7-5. 

The Lasers put up five runs over the next three frames to put the game out of reach.

Senior Andrew Sparrow (Sullivan, IL, Sullivan) made the start on the mound for the Prairie Fire and suffered the loss.  He surrendered eight runs (four earned), seven hits, and three walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings.

Sykes had two extra-base hits and scored three runs for Knox.  McCaffrey added two hits, two RBIs, and a stolen base.

The Prairie Fire close out the trip with a doubleheader on Saturday against Edgewood College that begins at 9:00 am (ET) at Terry Park #2 in Fort Myers.


GAME #4 vs. Johns Hopkins University (3/19/15)
The Prairie Fire couldn't recover after Johns Hopkins built a big lead early on and posted a 16-5 win at Terry Park.

The Blue Jays jumped in front 5-0 on a bases-loaded single and a three-run homer in the top of the first inning.  The Blue Jays doubled twice with runners on base in the top of the second for an eight run lead.

Knox (1-4) cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second inning.  Sophomore Derek Beaupre (Pekin, IL, Pekin), senior Michael Bohnhoff (Omaha, NE, Mt. Michael Benedictine), and sophomore Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) each contributed RBI singles.  Bohnhoff came around to score the fourth run on an error.

Back-to-back doubles by senior Andrew Sparrow (Sullivan, IL, Sullivan) and junior Austin Bevenue (Millstadt, IL, Belleville Althoff) in the home half of the third inning closed the gap to 8-5.

Johns Hopkins (7-2) scored twice in the fourth, and then tacked on six runs in the sixth while five pitchers combined for six innings of two-hit ball out of the bullpen.

Sophomore Ken Bartelt (Buffalo Grove, IL, Buffalo Grove) started the game on the mound for the Prairie Fire and was charged with the loss.  He gave up 12 runs (11 earned) and 10 hits with one strikeout and three walks in five innings.

Sanders and Bohnhoff both had two hits and an RBI to lead the offense.

Knox and Lasell College (2-5) play a doubleheader on Friday at Player Development Complex #2.  The first game is scheduled for a 9:00 am (ET) first pitch.


GAME #3 vs. University of Wisconsin-Stout (3/18/15)
UW-Stout snapped a scoreless tie in the fourth inning and went on to defeat the Prairie Fire 11-2 at Player Development Complex in Fort Myers.

Sophomore Drake Sykes (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) provided a spark with a two-run triple in the seventh inning.  He also doubled in his first at-bat to account for both of Knox's extra base hits in the game.

UW-Stout (6-1) broke through with four runs in the top of the fourth, all scoring with two outs.  The Blue Devils added two runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth to take a 9-0 lead.

The Prairie Fire (1-3) were unable to score again after cutting the deficit to seven on the hit by Sykes.  Stout tallied two more runs in the ninth to close out the scoring.

Sophomore Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) and first-year Matt McCaffrey (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) joined Sykes with two hits apiece.  Stout outhit Knox 17-8.

The loss went to sophomore hurler Alec Jordan (Spring Grove, IL, Richmond-Burton), who held the Blue Devils in check through three-plus innings in his first start of the year.  He wound up allowing six runs (three earned) on 10 hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Prairie Fire.  Up next is a game against Johns Hopkins University on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. (ET).  The Blue Jays (6-2) are coming off a 5-1 victory against Bethel University, their third win in the last four games.

 
GAME #2 vs. Salem State University (3/17/15)
A late charge by the Prairie Fire wasn't enough in an 8-5 loss to Salem State in the twinbill finale at Terry Park in Fort Myers.

First-year Matt McCaffrey (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) belted a two run homer with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to bring Knox back within three.  The Vikings nixed any hopes of a comeback by retiring the next two hitters to end the game.

Salem State (3-3) got off to another fast start with two runs in the first and another in the second inning for a 3-0 lead.  The Prairie Fire closed the gap to 3-1 on an RBI single by first-year Kosuke Nishitani (Plano, TX, Plano West) in the bottom of the second.

The Vikings followed with a pair of solo shots in the fourth and an unearned run in the fifth to push ahead 6-1.  Knox (1-2) answered with two runs in the home half of the fifth.  Sophomore Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) came home on a wild pitch and an RBI single by sophomore Alex Bell (Elgin, IL, Burlington Central) kept the game within reach at 6-3.

Salem State tacked on run-scoring doubles in the sixth and seventh innings.

The Prairie Fire left nine runners on base in the contest after banging out seven hits and drawing seven walks.  The Vikings tallied 11 hits and stranded seven baserunners.

First-year hurler Zach Chainuck (Plainfield, IL, Plainfield East) took the loss in his first start of the season.  He gave up five earned runs, six hits, and walked three over four innings.

Nishitani walked twice and reached base a team-high three times for Knox.

The Prairie Fire meet University of Wisconsin-Stout on Wednesday at 9:00 am (ET) at Player Development Complex #4.  The Blue Devils (5-1) have won four straight following a sweep of Edgewood College on Monday.


GAME #1 vs. Salem State University (3/17/15) 
Salem State pulled away in the fifth inning and downed the Prairie Fire a 15-1 in the first game of a doubleheader at Terry Park in Fort Myers.

The Vikings scored six times with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to surge ahead 10-1.  A five run sixth inning closed out the scoring.

Salem State plated the first three runs of the game in the second inning after the first three hitters doubled.  Knox sliced the deficit to 3-1 when senior Austen Lake (Albers, IL, Breese Central) smacked a two-out single that scored sophomore Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) in the top of the third.

An unearned run in the fourth with two outs put the Vikings on top 4-1.  The Prairie Fire had two singles and a pair of walks the rest of the way.

Salem State held a 15-6 advantage in total hits.  Senior Ryder Borre (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) was saddled with the loss in his second start of the season.  He allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and struck out five without a walk in 4.2 innings.

Sanders and first-year Matt McCaffrey (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) led Knox with two hits each.  Sanders also stole two bases and McCaffrey swiped one.