No. 10 Illinois Springfield baseball (7-3) secured a decisive 19-10 victory over Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday in its home opener and the third game of the series against the Tritons. The Prairie Stars were powered by an offense that collected 13 hits, including two home runs.

The Tritons struck first in the opening inning, using a two-RBI double and an RBI single to score three runs. UIS went scoreless in its half, giving UMSL a 3-0 advantage after the first.

The Prairie Stars answered in the second inning when Drew Ezard tripled to spark a four-run rally. Chris Suchoski drove in a run on a fielder's choice, Tommy Atkinson added an RBI double, and Johnny Wendling followed with a two-RBI single to give UIS a 4-3 lead.

In the third, Jaden Mathon entered in relief and helped stabilize the game. The Prairie Stars capitalized on UMSL miscues and free passes in the bottom of the inning. Parker Heistand reached on an error that brought in two runs, and both Suchoski and Atkinson drove in runs to push the lead to 10-4 after three innings.

UIS added three more runs in the fourth. Atkinson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Wendling later hit a two-run homer to extend the lead to 13-4. Game four of the series was postponed, giving the Prairie Stars additional pitching flexibility. 

The UIS offense erupted again in the eighth inning. Ezard hit a two-run home run, Atkinson tripled to drive in two runs, Wendling added a sacrifice fly, and Noah Caceres singled home another run to make it 19-10.

Kyle Tyler closed out the victory in the ninth inning, working a 1-2-3 frame by inducing two groundouts and a flyout to seal the win.

Mark DeCicco started for UIS, pitching two innings with four strikeouts while allowing five hits and three earned runs. Jaden Mathon worked the next three innings, striking out five and allowing three hits and one earned run. He came away with the win to improve to 1-0. 

Atkinson went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple, driving in five runs and scoring three times. Wendling finished 2-for-4 with a home run and a team-high six RBIs. Ezard scored three runs, hit a home run and a triple, and totaled three hits with two RBIs. Heistand reached base twice on walks and once on a hit, scoring three runs and driving in two. 

UIS is 7-3 on the season, while UMSL moves to 4-7.

Up Next
The Prairie Stars are headed to West Virginia next week for the Atlantic Region Crossover where they will face Lake Erie, Walsh, and Salem.