The Illinois Springfield baseball team earned a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Championship game after defeating Drury 5-2 on Saturday afternoon in Marion, Ill. With the victory, the Prairie Stars remain undefeated in the tournament and improve to 36-15 overall. UIS will return to the GLVC title game for the first time since winning it all in 2022.
Game Recap
- The game opened with neither side scoring through the first three innings. Ethan Bowers reached base twice early for UIS, including a leadoff single in the first and another base hit with a stolen base in the third, but both times was left stranded.
- Starter Ben Benoit kept Drury at bay, allowing just two standalone hits in the first three frames.
- The Prairie Stars broke the scoreless tie in fourth. Ivan Dahlberg beat out a throw for a single and advanced to second on a Noah Caceres groundout. Kody Morton and Johnny Wendling then drew walks to load the bases, and Ty Hollandsworth was hit by a pitch to force in the game's first run. Jackson Blemler followed with another walk, making it 2-0 UIS before the inning ended on a flyout.
- In the fifth, UIS added another run. Mark Kattula was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a wild pitch. Ivan Dahlberg walked, and a fielder's choice by Noah Caceres erased Dahlberg at second while pushing Kattula to third. Caceres then stole second base before Mack Clark delivered with a single to right field, scoring Kattula. Caceres attempted to score from second but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning, with UIS holding a 3-0 lead.
- Drury scored its two runs in the seventh. Benoit issued a leadoff walk and was replaced by Jack Tobin, who allowed a walk, struck out one, hit a batter, and gave up a single that brought home two Panther runs, trimming the UIS lead to 3-2. Seth Masters entered with two on and one out and shut the door with a strikeout and popup to end the threat.
- Masters continued his dominant relief in the eighth. After a fielding error allowed a runner to reach first, UIS quickly erased him on a catcher-to-shortstop throw as he attempted to take second. A flyout to center followed, and with one strike left in the next at-bat, a brief game delay—including an opponent ejection and a review halted play. Masters stayed composed and finished the inning with a swinging strikeout to preserve the 3-2 lead.
- In the bottom of the eighth, UIS gave itself breathing room. Wendling walked and Hollandsworth was hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt by Blemler, Bowers laced a two-run double into the gap, making it a 5-2 game. UIS loaded the bases again but could not extend the lead further.
- Masters took care of business in the ninth, retiring the side with a flyout, groundout, and popup to seal the win and earn his 10th save of the season—moving him into second place on the program's single-season saves list. He now has 11 career saves, ranking third all-time at UIS.
- Benoit earned the win to improve to 4-6 on the season, tossing six innings with five hits, one run, and three strikeouts. Masters pitched the final 2.2 innings without allowing a hit and struck out two.
- Bowers led the UIS offense with a 3-for-5 performance, including two RBIs and a stolen base. Dahlberg, Blemler, and Clark each added a hit for the Prairie Stars.
- UIS advances to the GLVC Championship game on Sunday with the opportunity to claim its second tournament title in program history.
UIS will take on No. 7 seed Missouri S&T in Sunday's GLVC Championship game, scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
The Miners battled through a grueling Saturday, defeating UMSL twice—6-4 and 8-1—to emerge as the final team standing on their side of the bracket. Since falling to UIS 10-3 in the tournament opener on Wednesday, Missouri S&T has eliminated No. 3 seed Maryville (5-4), Quincy (7-6), and beat UMSL twice to earn a rematch with the Prairie Stars.
The Miners have leaned on repeat appearances from both starting pitchers and relievers, and timely production from offensive standouts Will Beckham, Bricen Smith, and Drew Baugus.