Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
GALESBURG, Illinois – Illinois College hit six home runs in a Midwest Conference South doubleheader sweep of the Prairie Fire on a warm and windy Saturday at Blodgett Field.

The Blueboys, who went deep three times in both games, won the opener 16-6 and then held on for a 13-9 victory in the finale to take over first place in the division.

IC (11-13, 4-2) jumped in front 5-0 following a three-run shot in the top of the first inning of game one.  Knox answered with four runs in the bottom of the first – two on errors, one on a double-steal, and another on a single by sophomore Ryan Weitendorf (New Lenox, IL, Lincoln-Way East), to stay close.

The Blueboys put two more runs on the board in the top of the second to go up 7-4, and the Prairie Fire again trimmed the deficit to one thanks to a two-run single by first-year Matt McCaffrey (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) in the bottom half.

Illinois College added four runs in the third inning, capped by a two-run homer, for an 11-6 lead.

Knox (9-16, 3-7) managed only two hits the rest of the game while IC tacked on three runs in the fifth and two in the ninth, part of a 20-hit attack.

Sophomore hurler Alec Jordan (Spring Grove, IL, Richmond-Burton) suffered the loss after giving up 11 runs and 10 hits in three innings.

Junior Austin Bevenue (Millstadt, IL, Belleville Althoff) had two of the Prairie Fire's six hits.  Sophomore Paul Sanders (Rock Island, IL, Rock Island) also reached base twice with a hit and a walk, and he scored a pair of runs.

The second game had a similar start as IC smacked a three-run homer for the early lead.  An RBI single made it 4-0 before doubles by junior Alex Bell (Elgin, IL, Burlington Central) and Sanders in the bottom of the second cut the deficit in half.

Knox blanked the Blueboys in the top of the third, and then gained momentum when Weitendorf ripped a single that brought home the third run of the contest.

IC plated five runs in the top of the fourth, beginning with a solo homer, to extend to a 9-3 cushion.

The Prairie Fire rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth, the last three on a long home run by sophomore Drake Sykes (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg), to make it 9-8.  Sykes tripled his next time up, and a single by first-year Brandon Dempsey (Washington, IL, Washington) tied the game, 9-9.

Illinois College regained the lead for good after three consecutive singles to open the ninth inning, and topped off the scoring with a three-run homer.

IC held a 15-13 edge in total hits, but Knox walked 10 times and left 10 runners on base.

Sykes finished with three hits, three RBI, and three runs scored.  Sanders went 1-for-3 with three walks and a stolen base, while Dempsey and Weitendorf both reached base three times.

The Prairie Fire will try to even the score against the Blueboys as the teams conclude their season series with a doubleheader in Springfield that begins at 12:00 p.m.