CHICAGO—The Illinois Institute of Technology baseball team embarked on a Sunday-afternoon affair at Benedictine (Ill.) (DH) in pursuit of their fifth doubleheader sweep of the 2021 season. The Scarlet Hawks accomplished that feat with 14-13 (game one) and 14-4 (game two) victories en route to a 3-1 record on the weekend against the Eagles, who were swept for the first time in NACC play this season.

The Scarlet Hawks improve to 15-7, 10-6 NACC while Benedictine (Ill.) falls to 24-9, 13-3 NACC on the season. 

Illinois Tech 14, Benedictine 13 (Game One)

The Scarlet Hawks broke a 5-5 tie with a three-run fifth inning behind one-run singles from Ted Howell and Nick Bledsoe, as well as David Navarro's RBI-sacrifice bunt that scored Howell to make the score 8-5. It was a lead that Illinois Tech wouldn't surrender the rest of the contest.

Nick Bledsoe and Ted Howell engineered a Scarlet Hawks four-run eighth inning with RBI doubles, while Connor Blake contributed a sacrifice fly that scored Jacob Sorenson from third base to stretch the advantage to 12-7. 

The Eagles registered three runs in each the eighth and ninth frames, but the Scarlet Hawks plated two more runs in the ninth to secure a slim 14-13 victory.

David Navarro and Patrick Day each hit a home run for the Scarlet Hawks offense, while Connor Blake and Nick Bledsoe each went 3-for-4 with a double. Brandon Bennitt tallied a 2-for-5 outing that included a triple.

Austin Richardson improved to 4-0 on the pitching rubber for Illinois Tech. He allowed eight hits, seven runs and struck out three over six innings of work before Blake and Ronek (save) threw the final three innings. 

Illinois Tech 14, Benedictine 4 (Game Two / 8 Innings)

The Scarlet Hawks led from start-to-finish in a 14-4 decision over the Eagles. Eight Illinois Tech players contributed a hit in the contest, led by starting catcher Matthew Jackson's 3-for-4 outing with two RBI and one triple. Six Scarlet Hawks registered a two-hit outing, led by Ted Howell's 2-for-5 day that included a first-inning home run that put the finishing touches on a four-run frame. 

Connor Blake went 2-for-4 with three RBI while Nick Bledsoe also went 2-for-4 that included three runs scored.

Ian Duke secured the pitching victory for Illinois Tech as he allowed four runs, eight hits and struck out four batters over six innings before Zac Lis surrendered just two hits over the final two innings. 

The Scarlet Hawks will travel to Dominican (Ill.) (DH) on Saturday, May 8 for a 12:00 p.m. game time.