The No. 16 Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball Team concluded a four-game stand against No. 9 Illinois-Springfield with a doubleheader split on Saturday, winning game one 4-2 but falling in the nightcap, 10-3. Combined with Friday’s sweep, LR took the series 3-1 against the top-10 foe.

In game one, after giving up an RBI double in the first inning, LR starter Jackson Reid settled in nicely to earn his first win of the season. Reid threw five innings and struck out seven without walking a batter. Zach Evans tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the second with an RBI groundout.

UIS pulled ahead with a solo homer to left by Will Oberg on a 1-1 pitch. Evans drove in another run with a ground out to score Tyler McPeak and even the game at two.

LR would grab the lead on a well-executed bunt from Bryce Stober to score Cole Stanford for the game-winning run. Blake Bean scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth for the final run of the game.

Following Reid, Scott Meitzler and Spencer Floyd put up a pair of zeroes while recording five of the six outs via strikeout.

It was all Prairie Stars in game two as they plated a single run in the first and then mounted a 5-run rally in the top of the second. UIS took a 7-0 lead before LR scored three in the bottom of the seventh. Bean drove in all three with a 3-run shot.

UIS starter Ryan Carmack tossed five scoreless innings and struck out an astounding 14 LR hitters. 14 of his 15 outs recorded came via the punchout. Peyton Dillingham doubled and tripled and drove in three for the visitors who cruised to the win.

LR struck out 12 batters in the seven-inning game one. Head Coach Chris Ramirez came to LR from Illinois-Springfield where he was named the National Coach of the Year in 2019.

The Bears have struck out double-digit times in all three of their losses this season. The Bears struck out 19 times in game two. LR needed only four hits to win game one.

LR contained a potent UIS lineup to just nine runs through the first three games of the series before the 10-run outburst in the finale. The Bears return to action on Wednesday in non-conference action at Catawba. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.