JACKSONVILLE, Ill.- The Illinois College baseball team opened their season at home on Sunday against Wartburg College, splitting a doubleheader with the Knights. Both teams now stand at 1-1 to start the season.

Game 1 (IC 15 Wartburg 5 / 8 Innings)
The Blueboys got on the board early with a Nolan Decker RBI single in the first inning. The teams traded runs until Tyler Barker's double in the sixth gave Illinois College a 5-3 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.

Decker broke the game open with a grand slam to left-center, extending the lead to seven. IC added three more runs in the eighth, securing a 10-run mercy-rule victory to start the season.

Decker had a dominant performance at the plate, driving in seven runs on three hits and a walk. Andrew Wieneke earned the win with two innings of relief, following a stellar start from Jack McGuire, who struck out nine over five innings. The Blueboys finished with 11 hits and drew 11 walks in the victory.

Game 2 (Wartburg 12 IC 4 / 7 Innings)
Wartburg took control early with a two-run home run by Zach Walton and never looked back. Despite recording just eight hits, the Knights capitalized on walks to maintain their lead throughout the game.

For Illinois College, Adam Passmore led the offense with two hits and two RBIs, while Louie Bartletti contributed with a triple and scored three of the team's four runs.

The game was ultimately called due to darkness.

Up Next
The Blueboys will travel to Greenville University on Wednesday for a 1:00 PM game at Robert E. Smith Field before departing for Florida over spring break.