Springfield, Ill. - The Illinois Central College baseball team (13-21, 9-7) made the return trip down to Claude Kracik Field on Monday afternoon, as the Cougars played the final two games of their series with the Lincoln Land Loggers. Two hits were enough for a 6-1 Logger win in the opener, before the Cougars rebounded nicely with a big late-game push to win 12-7, securing a 2-2 series split with Lincoln Land. 

GAME ONE | LINCOLN LAND 6, ICC COUGARS 1
The Loggers only got two hits in the first game of the twinbill. They were both home runs. Three runs were scored in the bottom of the third, which at the time was a 4-0 lead. The Cougars, meanwhile, got their lone run of the game when Luke Doty hustled out a second-pitch triple to score Ashton Horchem in the top of the seventh with two outs. 

COUGAR HITTING
Luke Doty | 1 single, 1 triple, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Kyle Mack | 1 single, 1 walk
Noah Campbell | 1 double, 1 walk
Ashton Horchem | 1 single
Nick Piazza | 1 single

COUGAR PITCHING
Gage Burdick | 5 innings, 2 hits, 5 earned runs, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Aidan Leemans | 1 inning, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts

GAME TWO | ICC COUGARS 12, LINCOLN LAND 7
There was plenty more offense to be had in the nightcap. 19 runs, 19 hits all found there way to the scoreboard before the conclusion of this one. The Cougars roared out to a 4-0 lead through two innings on a Luke Doty leadoff home run (1-0) and Doty three-run double (4-0). 

Jake Stewart launched a solo home run of his own in the sixth to extend the Cougar lead to 5-3 after the Loggers had gotten within a singular run. Lincoln Land would also storm back to tie it in the seventh on a pair of RBI singles. 

With the game at 5-5 going into the eighth, the Cougars re-took the lead on another Stewart RBI hit, this time of the single variety. Yet again, the Loggers answered to tie it at six after eight. 

What followed was an impressive offensive onslaught in the ninth. Back-to-back RBI walks from Griffin Roesch and Kannon Kleine made it 8-6. Two more consecutive RBI walks, this time from Doty and Noah Campbell made it 10-6. There would be a run-scoring hit, too, with Kyle Mack lining an two-run single into center field to cap a six-run top of the ninth and set the 12-7 final score. 

COUGAR HITTING
Luke Doty | 1 double, 1 home run, 5 RBI, 2 walks
Noah Campbell | 1 RBI, 1 walk
Kyle Mack | 2 singles, 2 RBI, 1 walk
Bryce Bishop | 1 walk
Tyler Bishop | 1 walk
Griffin Roesch | 1 single, 2 walks
Kannon Kleine | 1 RBI, 2 walks
Jake Stewart | 1 single, 1 home run, 2 RBI, 1 walk
Nick Piazza | 1 walk

COUGAR PITCHING
Cole Thomas | 5 innings, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
Chase Martin | 2 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
Caleb Diver | 2 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

WHAT'S UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
vs. Southwestern Illinois
Wednesday, April 10th - 3:00 PM
Thome Field - East Peoria, Ill.