The Dominican University baseball team made history on Saturday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader from the Benedictine University Eagles for the first time in program history. The Stars took both ends of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) series by 5-4 scores.
The Stars, now 14-16 on the season and 7-5 in NACC play, host the conference-leading Concordia University Chicago Cougars on Sunday afternoon at Schaumburg Boomers Stadium. First pitch for the doubleheader is slated for 12:00 p.m.
Game One: Dominican 5, Benedictine 4
The Stars scored a run in the eighth and four in the top of the ninth to erase a 4-0 deficit behind a complete-game effort from sophomore Colin Janison (Las Vegas, Nev.) on the mound. After the Eagles opened a 4-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, Janison retired six of the next seven hitters and allowed just three base-runners over the final three innings.
Janison also broke the Eagles' shutout in the top of the eighth when he singled to right with runners at first and second and two outs to pull the Stars within 4-1.
In the top of the ninth, the Stars capitalized on an Eagle fielding gaff that could have been the second out of the inning. Nathaniel Natividad (Oak Lawn, Ill.) singled to score Mike Piotrowski (Arlington Heights, Ill.) before a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases. After a strikeout, Royce Salay (Henderson, Nev.) singled to pull the Stars within a run at 4-3. With Janison at the plate and the bases still loaded, a wild pitch evened the game at 4-4 before the Eagles elected to put Janison on base ahead of Brian Costello (Norridge, Ill.). Costello made the Eagles regret that decision when he pushed across the eventual winning run with a single through the right side of the infield to plate Lucas McKinney (Arvada, Colo.).
Janison then pitched around a leadoff single and a throwing error, stranding the tying and winning runs when he struck out Justin Montalvo to end the game. For Janison, the punchout was his sixth of the game while the lanky right-hander walked just two.
The complete game was the fourth of the season for Janison as he improves to 4-4 on the mound with a team-best 3.55 earned run average.
Offensively, Dominican legged out eight hits, all singles, including two apiece for Costello and Natividad.
Game Two: Dominican 5, Benedictine 4
With the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth and the bases full of Eagles with one out, Dominican spun a double-play when Ivan Georgelos tested the arm of Joe Kukla (Chicago, Ill.) on a shallow fly ball to left. Kukla tossed a strike to McKinney at the plate, cutting down the potential game-winning run and sending the game to extra innings.
The Stars then rallied for three runs in the top of the tenth before Quinten Hayes (Indianapolis, Ind.) punched out Montalvo as Dominican escaped with another 5-4 win.
McKinney broke the 2-2 tie in the top of the tenth when he yanked a ball down the third baseline with the bases loaded to score JT Hicks (Albion, Mich.) and Cody Schuster (Las Vegas, Nev.). Natividad later scored in the inning when Quinlan Milne Rojek (Minneapolis, Minn.) singled through the left side of the infield.
Tyler Brown (Bartlett, Ill.) picked up the win on the mound to improve to 3-0, tossing nine innings and surrendering just two runs on eight hits and three walks before turning the game over to the bullpen in the tenth. Hayes picked up his second save of the season, walking one and striking out one while facing four hitters.
Offensively, the Stars tallied seven hits in the winning effort, including two more for Natividad who picked up four hits all day.