(Sugar Grove, IL) - After dropping both games of a doubleheader the day before to Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) foe McHenry County College, Waubonsee Community College's baseball team bounced back to sweep a doubleheader from Prairie State College in dramatic fashion. The Chiefs (9-8-1, 2-6) scored a pair of walk-off wins downing the Pioneers 6-5 in eight innings on Mason Barnick's single, and 5-4 on Carter Wardell's single in the bottom of the seventh. The victories snapped the Chiefs' six game losing streak, which came after Coach Rodney Lopez's crew had won seven in a row.
In the opener the Pioneers scored twice in the top of the first inning before the Chiefs tallied a run in their half of the frame as Wardell scored on the back end of a first and third double steal. The Chiefs evened the score in the second inning as Dante Maietta walked, stole second and third, and scored on a sacrifice fly out to deep right field by Garrett Bragg. Prairie State then scored two more runs in the third utilizing three hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly. Waubonsee pulled even in the bottom of the fourth scoring twice after there were two outs and no one on base. Four straight walks and a pair of wild pitches allowed Wardell and Logan barnick to each score and tie the game at 4-all. The Chiefs then took advantage of Pioneer pitching's generosity in the fifth inning with three straight walks and a ground out to score a run for a 5-4 lead. After being shut down in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, Prairie State finally got to Chiefs' reliever Alijah Acevedo in the top of the seventh, tying the game with a one-out, run scoring single by Alex Perez. However, they stranded runners at second and third, and the Chiefs went down in order sending the game into extra innings. Nick Black came on in relief of Acevedo and got three quick outs in the top of the eighth, and the Chiefs used that momentum finish off the Pioneers. Logan Barnick drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brendan O'Connor. A wild pitch moved Barnick to third base and he scored the winning run a moment later when twin brother Mason lined a single to left field for the walk-off win.
Wardell walked three times and scored twice; while Maietta doubled, walked three times and scored twice as well. Overall the Pioneers gave the Chiefs 13 free base runners as Waubonsee drew 12 walks and had a hit batsmen. Prairie State's Chasen Lewis went 2 for 5 with a double and two runs scored, while Scott Gates had a pair of hits, two stolen bases and a walk to lead the Pioneers' offense.
Both teams scored singles runs in the first inning of game two. O'Connor doubled to left center field with one out and came in to score on a ground out by Mason Barnick. The Pioneers then jumped ahead 4-1 in the top of the third courtesy of a two-run double by Isaiah Gaines and a sacrifice fly by Gabe Cortez. But Prairie State's bats were silenced after that as Hunter Venditti came on in relief for Waubonsee and allowed only a couple hits over four shutout innings. Meanwhile, the Chiefs scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to knot the game at four. Maietta singled to left, Sam Tickel followed with a single to right field and Mitchell Stempowski knocked them both in with a ringing double to left center field. Stempowski scored a moment later on a fourth straight hit as Logan Barnick singled to left field. The game remained knotted at 4-all until the bottom of the seventh as Logan Barnick led off with a single to right field. He then stole second base before Ryan Beer was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. A minute later that duo pulled off a double steal and the Pioneers walked Adrian Zietara to load the bases with no outs. Wardell then smacked an 0-1 pitch past the third baseman to plate Barnick with the winning run and complete the Chiefs' sweep of the ISCC twinbill.
O'Connor finished the game 3 for 3 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored. Maietta went 2 for 3 with a run scored, while Logan Barnick also went 2 for 3 with a pair of stolen bases and a run scored. Venditti picked up the win on the mound striking out two and walking no one in four innings of work. He was aided by two double plays turned by the Chiefs while keeping the Pioneers in check. Prairie State was paced in game two by Lewis who finished 3 for 4 with five stolen bases and two runs scored.