By Jami Sponaugle

Chicago, Ill. - On a cold and cloudy Sunday, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks baseball team welcomed the Dominican University Stars to Ed Glancy Field for some Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) double header action. 

The Hawks (16-16, 9-7) secured 12 runs in both contests as they defeated the visiting Stars (14-16, 7-9) 12-3 in game one and 12-8 in game two. 

Game One (Illinois Tech 12 - Dominican 3)

• The runs started early for the Hawks as they took a quick 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning to jump out ahead of the Stars. After Tyler Gutsfeld and Connor Blake opened the inning with singles, Brandon Bennitt stepped up to bat. Bennitt was able to bring in Gutsfeld to get the Hawks on the board with a single. Matthew Jackson then followed with a double to score Blake and Bennitt and make it a 3-0 ball-game. A single by Samuel Sproule sent Jackson to third. Sproule then took off running to steal second as Peyton Vieluf was up to bat. Vieluf grounded out, but was able to allow Jackson to score to build the Hawks lead. Sproule scored the final run of the inning off a Michael Paxson fly-out to center field. 

• In the bottom of the second, Gutsfeld recorded his first homerun of the day and gave the Hawks a 6-0 lead. 

• After a scoreless third innings from both teams, the Stars recorded their first run of the game in the top of the fourth after a Matt Galdi single. 

• One more run came in favor of the Stars in the top of the fifth. Here the Hawks led 6-2. 

• Jackson recorded his second double of the game in the bottom of the second and brought in two runs to put the Hawks ahead 8-2.

• Gutsfeld's second home run of the game came in the bottom of the seventh as he recorded 3 RBI's and gave the Hawks a 11-2 lead. 

• In the eighth inning, both sides picked up one run. The Stars recorded their last run of the game with a solo home run by Garrett Wano. For the Hawks, a Paxson single was able to bring in Sproule for the Hawks final run of the game, giving the Hawks the 12-3 victory in game one. 

Game Two (Illinois Tech 12 - Dominican 8)

• The first run of the game came in the bottom of the first inning for the Hawks when Gutsfeld scored as Bennitt flew out to right field to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. 

• Then, in the bottom of the second, the Hawks put up 5 runs. With bases loaded, Matthew Bove hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Vieluf. After Bennitt was walked, bases were once again loaded for the Hawks. Blake then stepped up to bat and fired off a grand slam, putting the Hawks up 6-0 on the Stars. 

• In the top of the second, the Stars earned their first two runs of the game. A single by Grayson Downing brought in one run and was followed by a single from Wano for the Stars second run. 

• A home run from the Stars began the fourth inning and was their only run of the inning as the next three batters were recorded out. For the Hawks, Gutsfeld recorded his first homerun of the game to get the runs going. After getting the bases loaded, Sproule stepped up to bat and singled, bringing in Bennitt for one run. Then, after a fielding error on the Stars, Blake was able to score. At the end of the fourth inning, the Hawks led the Stars 9-3.

• Gutsfeld once again homered for the Hawks as he brought in Bove and put the Hawks up 11-3 in the fifth inning. 

• A sac-fly by Vieliuf scored Sproule for the Hawks final run of the game in the bottom of the 6th inning. 

• After a scoreless seventh inning, the Stars added two runs in the eighth with a solo homerun from Wano and an unearned run from an error by the Hawks. 

• In the final inning, the Stars were able to pick up three more runs before the end of the game. With bases loaded, the Stars scored an unearned run after the batter was walked. The next batter then singled, bringing in another runner. Lastly, the Stars scored one more unearned run after advancing home from a ground out. In the end, the Hawks were able to hold onto their lead as they defeated the Stars 12-8 in game two. 

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Game One

• Gutsfeld finished with 5 at bats, 3 runs, 3 hits, and 4 RBI's. Gutsfeld homered twice during the game. 

• Jackson had 5 at-bats, 1 run, 2 hits, and 4 RBI's. Jackson recorded two doubles. 

• Paxson tallied 5 at-bats, 1 run, 2 hits, and 2 RBI's. Paxson picked up one double. 

• Sproule ended with 5 at-bats, 2 runs, 3 hits, and 2 stolen bases. 

• Cameron Bracewell earned the win after facing 29 batters in 7 innings pitched. Bracewell struck out 7 batters. 

Game Two

• Gutsfeld had 4 at-bats, 3 runs, 3 hits, and 3 RBI's. Gutfeld recorded a triple, 2 home runs, and a stolen base. 

• Blake finished with 5 at-bats, 2 runs, 3 hits, and 4 RBI's. Blake recorded a grand slam during the game. 

• Sproule finished with 5 at-bats, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 RBI and 3 stolen bases. 

• Earning the win was Joseph Belflower who faced 26 batters in 6 innings and struck out 4.

• Ethan Jenssen earned the save after facing 4 batters in one inning and striking out 2. 

Stars Standouts

Game One

• Wano finished with 3 at-bats, 1 run, 1 hit, and 1 RBI. Wano recorded one homerun. 

• Downing went up to bat 3 times and recorded 1 run and 1 hit. Downing's hit was a double.

 Game Two

• Wano had 5 at-bats, 2 runs, 2 hits, and 2 RBI's. Wano homered during the game.

• Keegan Brandt finished with 4 at-bats, 1 run, 2 hits, and 2 RBI's after recording a homerun. 

Up Next

On Tuesday, the Hawks will take on the University of Chicago Maroons in non-conference action. The game will take place at Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox's. First pitch will be thrown at 6:00 PM.