Vincennes, Ind. - 16 runs and 24 hits made their way onto the scoreboard for the Illinois Central College baseball team (8-14, 4-2), as the Cougars started off their MWAC road series with the Vincennes Trailblazers well, taking both games on Saturday, leading into the series finales on Sunday. 

GAME 1 | ICC COUGARS 7, VINCENNES 3
The Cougars got right to work in game one, quite literally. On the first pitch of the game, Luke Doty singled. One pitch later, a run was on the board, when Bryce Bishop lined a double into right field to score Doty. Noah Campbell fought through a full count to line a single into right field to score Bishop. After Kyle Mack singled as well, Jacob Castleman got a fly ball deep enough out towards left field, scoring Campbell for the sac fly and a 3-0 lead with just one out.

Vincennes and ICC would trade one-run innings for a stretch, with the Cougars going up 4-1 when Mack scored on a fielder's choice. With Gus Lucas keeping the Trailblazers away from the run column any further, including a 1-2-3 third inning, ICC tacked on another run, going up 5-1 when Mack's RBI single scored Bishop. 

The Trailblazers worked the game back to a two-run deficit on RBI singles in the fourth and fifth innings (5-3 ICC at the time), before the Cougars wrapped it up with Doty scoring on a fielder's choice in the sixth and Nick Piazza doubling home Tyler Bishop in the ninth for some insurance scoring. 

Caleb Diver came on in relief, tossing three innings of hitless ball to keep the score in check. 

HITTING STATS
Luke Doty (CF) | 2 singles, 1 walk 
Bryce Bishop (RF) | 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Noah Campbell (SS) | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Kyle Mack (DH) | 3 singles, 1 RBI, 2 walks
Jacob Castleman (3B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Kannon Kleine (C) | 1 single
Tyler Bishop (1B) | 1 single, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Nick Piazza (2B) | 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base

PITCHING STATS
Gus Lucas (W) | 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO
Caleb Diver (S) | 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

GAME 2 | ICC COUGARS 9, VINCENNES 4
Game two didn't have quite the trajectory of the opener, but the Cougars still came away with the same positive vibes. One similar element was a Luke Doty first-pitch hit, but this time, Doty lined a triple into right field. He promptly scored after Noah Campbell reached on an error. The 3-0 lead came by way of Nick Piazza, as he would single (scoring Kannon Kleine), and himself come around to score on a passed ball two batters later. 

Vincennes, though, stormed back to take a 4-3 lead in the third, using a two-run double, bases-loaded walk, and RBI sacrifice fly to get there. That would be it for the scoring, however. 

Yes, the ICC bats took care of business the rest of the way, scoring six unanswered runs. Piazza scored Kleine on an RBI sac fly and Bryce Bishop hit a three-run home run to take the lead at 7-4 in the seventh, a lead the Cougars would not surrender. 

Blake Norton and Ian McGhiey were teaming up on the mound to throw five innings of shutout ball in relief. 

The final dagger came on a two-run Kleine single, scoring Kyle Mack and Griffin Roesch to set the final score. 

HITTING STATS
Luke Doty (CF) | 1 single, 1 double, 1 triple
Bryce Bishop (RF) | 1 home run, 3 RBI
Noah Campbell (SS) | 1 RBI, 1 walk
Kyle Mack (1B) | 1 single, 1 walk
Tyler Bishop (DH) | 1 single
Griffin Roesch (3B) | 1 walk
Ashton Horchem (LF) | 1 single
Kannon Kleine (C) | 3 singles, 2 RBI
Nick Piazza (2B) | 1 single, 1 double, 2 RBI

PITCHING STATS
Gage Burdick | 2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 1 SO
Blake Norton (W) | 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
Ian McGhiey | 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
@ Vincennes Trailblazers (9-14, 3-3)
Sunday, March 17th - 12:00 PM / 3:00 PM
Jerry Blemker Field - Vincennes, Indiana
Live Stats (GameChanger)