East Peoria, IL - The Illinois Central College Baseball team (3-13) was right back to work on Friday afternoon, hosting the Lions from Community Christian (0-9) in a twinbill to start a four-game set. The series, which had been moved up a day due to the threat of severe weather, continues Saturday. ICC needed a comeback to win the first game with a big inning late, a 10-2 win, before striking early and often in a convincing 15-1 win in the nightcap.
GAME ONE | ILLINOIS CENTRAL 10, D1 COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN 2
This one started off favoring the visiting Lions, with Community Christian ahead 2-0 after three and a half innings. On the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth, Ryan Brucker made it a 2-1 game with a solo home run.
From there, it was all Cougars. After both teams went scoreless in the fifth, ICC unloaded in the sixth with some big insurance runs. Jayden Malone swung away on a 3-1 count and launched a solo shot for a 2-2 tie (ICC's 3rd HR of the season). After consecutive walks from Blake Norton and Chris Casey, Jake Stewart singled, scoring Norton on the throw. On the very next at bat, Colton Williams got a grounder through the left side to score Casey and Stewart.
At this point, ICC had all the momentum they needed, but they weren't done yet. Nate Bartman singled into left field as well, this time with Williams scoring on the throw. A Kaiden Lucero walk, Thomas Krueger RBI single, and Brucker single all happened before an out was even recorded in the inning, and ICC led at that point, 7-2.
Three more runs came in consecutive fashion with Norton drawing a bases-loaded walk for the RBI, Krueger scoring on an infield hit from Casey, and Stewart tallying an RBI groundout to score Brucker and set the final score.
COUGAR STATISTICS
Hitting
Kaiden Lucero (CF) | 1 single, 1 walk
Thomas Krueger (3B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Ryan Brucker (2B) | 1 single, 1 home run, 1 RBI
Jayden Malone (RF) | 1 single, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Blake Norton (DH) | 1 RBI, 2 walks
Chris Casey (LF) | 2 singles, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 1 stolen base
Jake Stewart (1B) | 1 single, 2 RBI, 1 walk
Colton Williams (C) | 1 single, 1 double, 2 RBI
Nate Bartman (SS) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Pitching
Caleb Bieneman | 5 innings, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Broker Bailey (W; 1-0) | 2 innings, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
GAME TWO | ILLINOIS CENTRAL 15, D1 COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN 1
The second game of the day was a much different story. After Kaiser Quick got things going on the mound striking out the side (2 balls to 9 strikes), the Cougar bats helped him out instantly with a Thomas Krueger solo homer, Jayden Malone RBI double, Malone scoring on an error, Elliot Seckman RBI sacrifice fly, and Nate Bartman RBI triple all combining for an impressive 6-0 dent in the scoreboard.
Quick continued to shine on the hill, striking out three more in the second, and this time, with no balls in the inning, adding up to 2 balls and 18 strikes with six strikeouts and no base runners through the first two innings of work. He did not allow a base runner until a leadoff walk in the third, and did not allow a hit until a single three batters into that third frame.
Meanwhile, sandwiched between that third inning of work for Quick and his first were three straight extra base hits from the bats, with Jake Stewart (two-run triple), Seckman (RBI double), and Bartman (RBI double) surging ICC ahead at an 11-0 clip after two.
The Lions would score their only run of the game on a wild pitch, thus no Community Christian player scored 'naturally', per se, solidifying a quality start for Quick.
The Cougar bats shut the door for good in the bottom of the third with a Brucker RBI double, David Ripke scoring on a wild pitch, and Seckman getting an RBI single to set the final score.
Run rule regulations had the Cougars at least complete four and a half if they could maintain the margin, and maintain it they did, with Quick not allowing a single hit the rest of the way.
COUGAR STATISTICS
Hitting
Thomas Krueger (3B) | 1 double, 1 home run, 1 RBI
Parker Bellamy | 1 single
Ryan Brucker (2B) | 1 walk, 1 stolen base
David Ripke | 1 double, 1 RBI
Jayden Malone (RF) | 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Blake Norton (DH) | 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Tate Hall | 1 single
Kyle Binder (C) | 3 walks
Jake Stewart (1B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Elliot Seckman (LF) | 1 double, 2 RBI
Jack Henson | 1 single, 2 RBI
Nate Bartman (SS) | 1 double, 1 triple, 3 RBI
Pitching
Kaiser Quick (W; 1-1) | 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
vs. D1 Community Christian Lions (0-9)
Saturday, March 15th - 12:00 PM (DH)
at Thome Field - East Peoria, IL
Watch Live (AWRE TV)
Live Stats (GameChanger; "25 ICC Cougars Baseball")
