GALESBURG, Ill. — Both Knox College and visiting Illinois College got terrific starting performances on the mound in both games of the Midwest Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Blodgett Field, with the Prairie Fire (10-10, 2-3 MWC) taking the first game, 5-3, before the Blueboys (16-10, 4-3 MWC) tossed a combined no-hitter in game two in a 2-1 victory.
It looked like it might be a long day when Illinois College jumped on senior right-hander Brandon Ward, making his first start of the season, for two runs (one earned) in the top of the first of the opener. Junior Andrew Garrett got one of those runs back with an RBI single in the second, but it was his two-run homer in the fourth — the first of his life at any level of baseball — that gave Knox a 4-2 lead.
That long ball was the one true mistake made by Blueboy southpaw Jack McGuire (3-2), who struck out 11 batters and allowed just two hits (both to Garrett) and three earned runs, though he did walk five batters and hit another in six innings of work. Sophomore Aidan McMurtrie lofted a sacrifice fly off a reliever in the seventh to plate an unearned insurance run.
Meanwhile, Ward settled in and kept Illinois College from adding to its total through the seventh while not allowing a single runner past first base. But having retired eight straight batters with one down in the eighth, he was touched by Louie Bartletti who blasted his fourth home run of the season to close the gap to two at 5-3.
Junior right-hander Brady Bertrand was summoned from the bullpen, and though he gave up a pair of two-out singles, no harm came from them. And sophomore Ayden Fayta worked around a leadoff double in the ninth to secure his first collegiate save.
Ward (3-0) tossed 7.1 innings — the longest outing of his Prairie Fire career — allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits and one walk while striking out three.
In game two, Knox was able to take a 1-0 lead in the second thanks to a one-out walk to junior Thomas Wilmot. He then took second on a grounder, stole third and trotted home when the throw skipped into left field.
But the Prairie Fire also gave away a run in the fourth. Junior right-hander Jeff Ripka gave up a double, sandwiched between a pair of strikeouts, and he got another hitter to swing at strike three on a pitch in the dirt. But the throw to first was also in the dirt and could not be corralled as Ketch Mills steamed around third and scored, tying the game at one. Ripka went on to record his fourth strikeout of the inning to end the frame.
The score remained tied until the eighth inning when Illinois College scored another unearned run, this time after a leadoff error. With runners at second and third with one gone, Mills lofted a fly to center to score Bartletti with the go-ahead run.
Blueboy left-hander Charlie Lardi (5-0) began the eighth by getting a pair of punchouts — giving him 13 in the game — but then issued his sixth walk on his 126th pitch. The Illinois College head coach decided that was enough and went to right-hander Andrew Wieneke, who retired all four batters he faced — three on strikes — for his first save to complete the no-hitter.
Ripka (3-2) was stuck with the loss despite not allowing an earned run over 8.2 innings and gutting out 138 pitches. He gave up just five hits and three walks to go with a career-high eight strikeouts.
The two teams will conclude their three-game series tomorrow at Blodgett Field at noon. Live video and stats will be available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox Athletics.
