Loves Park, Ill. - Matthew Jackson drove in six runs, Brandon Bennitt four, and Benjamin Cash pitched seven shutout innings in a 12-0 game one victory as the Illinois Tech Baseball team split a double header with host Rockford Monday night. The Scarlet Hawks dropped game two 4-3. The Scarlet Hawks moved to 9-27 overall and 5-15 in NACC play. The Regents are now 14-18 overall and 6-14 in the conference.

In the opening game, the Scarlet Hawks held a 2-0 lead through three innings before exploding for five runs in the top of the fourth inning. After a bases loaded walk to Bennitt forced in Carter Vonk to push the Hawks lead to 3-0, Jackson followed up with a grand slam home run to left field, extending the lead to 7-0.

The Hawks cemented their lead in the top of the seventh. A Bennitt single drove in Vonk and Timmy Old to push the Hawks lead to 9-0. Jackson doubled to right field to drive in Connor Blake and Bennitt, and Peyton Vieluf singled to right to score Jackson, providing the Hawks with a 12-0 lead. The Regents were unable to plate a run the bottom of the seventh inning, allowing the Hawks to earn a seven-inning 12-0 victory due to the 10-run rule.

Cash (2-3) went the distance for the Hawks for the win, allowing no runs, four hits and one walk while striking out six batters. More importantly, he was able to allow the team to avoid using the bullpen, which had been taxed during a double header loss to Wisconsin Lutheran on Sunday. Logan List (2-2) took the loss for Rockford, allowing six earned runs on five hits, walking four while striking out one batter in 3 1/3 innings.

In the nightcap, the Hawks got on the board first in the top of the third inning, as Bennitt scored on a Rockford fielding error to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

The lead proved to be short lived however, as the Regents responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the third, courtesy of a three-run home run from right fielder Neil Freeman.

An RBI single by Bennitt in the top of the fifth inning brought home Blake, and trimmed the Hawks deficit to 3-2.

Rockford got the run back in the bottom of the sixth inning when Jake Bilotta drove in Tyler Peake with an RBI single to left, giving the Regents a 4-2 lead.

The Hawks pulled within one run in the top of the seventh inning when Blake scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately the Hawks could not get closer, as Freeman pitched two shutout innings while striking out four Hawks to earn the save for the Regents. 

Aaron Monti (1-2) earned the win for Rockford, going five innings, allowing 1 earned run on six hits, two walks while striking out four. Alec Weedman (2-5) took the loss for the Scarlet Hawks, allowing nine hits and four runs over 5 2/3 innings, walking three batters while striking out four.

Up Next

The Scarlet Hawks travel to Mequon, Wisconsin on Friday May 6th, as they take on Concordia University Wisconsin in a NACC double header, starting at noon CT.