After a successful Spring Trip to central Florida last week, Waubonsee's home opener did not go quite how the Chiefs expected. The College of DuPage came into Sugar Grove and smacked 14 hits en route to a 12-2 blowout in the first game of a doubleheader. Fortunately the Chiefs were able to salvage a split as sophomore right-hander Dustin Imanaka spun a two-hitter to lead Waubonsee to a 2-1 victory in game two. The Chiefs, ranked ninth in the latest NJCAA Division III poll, moved their overall record to 10-3 while the Chaparrals remain at .500 with a 6-6 mark.

In the opener Waubonsee got on the board first as Dolan Nicholson doubled and came around to score on a two-out single by Justin Sartori in the first inning. DuPage came right back to score twice in the top of the second before Sartori once again came through in the clutch. Nicholson reached base on an error with one out in the bottom of the third and again scored when Sartori ripped a two-out double to right center to tie the game at two. The Chaparrals then took command by scoring four times in the fourth on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman to knock out Chiefs' starter Logan Love. DuPage then broke the game open with a two-out, two-run triple to center by Corey Vondra in the fifth. They completed the rout when Jordan Larsen drilled a three-run double to left center off reliever Mario Magana to give DuPage a 12-2 lead in the seventh inning. Love took the loss, yielding six earned runs on eight hits. Nicholson finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored, while Sartori was 3 for 3 with two runs batted in.

Imanaka was the story in game two as he shut down DuPage's offense. The native of Kaneohe, Hawaii only surrendered a pair of singles to Vondra, retiring 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. Imanaka struck out four, walked two and allowed a lone run in third inning. He walked Pat Leahy leading off the inning, and he came around to score with two outs when Vondra bounced one off Imanaka's glove that ricocheted to shortstop for an infield single. Just as they had in the opener the Chiefs scored a run in the bottom of the first to take the early lead. Garrett Goetz, who earlier in the day was named the NJCAA Division III Player of the Week for last week, ripped a single to center. Sartori followed with another line single to center to put runners at first and second with two outs. Sartori then got picked off of first base on a snap throw by the Dupage catcher. Goetz in turn took off for third base and in response Larsen attempted to throw to third to get him. However, the first baseman's throw skipped away from third and Goetz scampered home to score. The Chiefs scored the deciding run in the fifth when Nicholson drew a one-out walk and then stole second base. He scored two batters later when DuPage starter Ryan Andrews, one strike away from ending the inning, hurled a wild pitch to plate Nicholson. Sartori finished the game with a pair of hits and Chase Hartleben stroked a double in the winning cause.