East Peoria, IL - The Illinois Central College Baseball team (4-13) kept its homestand going on Saturday by hosting the Lions from Community Christian for the final two of a four-game series at Thome Field. The Cougars hit the scoreboard early in the first game, cruising to an 11-1 five-inning victory. In the series finale, it would be effectively a repeat, with a big early inning powering ICC to another run-rule victory, 10-0, completing the four-game sweep of the Lions.

GAME ONE | ILLINOIS CENTRAL 11, D1 COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN 1 (5 inn.)
The Lions would load the bases in the top of the first, but a full-count strikeout looking allowed Blake Norton to end the threat himself and keep Community Christian off the scoreboard. 

From there, ICC went right to work. A first-pitch RBI triple from Thomas Krueger, first-pitch RBI single from Jayden Malone, and 1-0 RBI single up the middle from Chris Casey gave ICC a 3-0 lead after the first. 

Community Christian would tack one on with a wild pitch and cut within a 3-1 score, but that's all they would get the rest of the day. 

Krueger legged out a triple, and in part thanks to an infield error on the way back in on the relay, both Nate Bartman and Kaiden Lucero scored. Even Krueger himself came all the way around home on that same error and just like that it was 6-1 in favor of the Cougars. 

There were even more fireworks in the third. The aggressive plate appearances continued, with Jake Stewart taking a first pitch single out to left to score Kyle Binder and go up six runs. Bartman would need to turn on the jets, with his 0-2 fly ball out into center field taking long enough to return to the confines of the infield for him to circle the bases, with Stewart scoring, for an inside-the-park home run and a 9-1 lead. 

The extra base hits were not done yet. Krueger doubled back out into center to score Lucero and hit double figures for the third straight game, leading 10-1 after three. 

Ahead with a hitter's count at 2-0, Binder would launch a 'regular' home run over the left field fence to set what would become the final score. The Lions would get a single and error to reach base in the top of the fifth, but enough damage had been done, and Krueger would run from the mound to cover the bag for Stewart and end it early. 

Cougar Hitting
Kaiden Lucero (CF) | 1 single, 1 double
Thomas Krueger (3B) | 1 double, 2 triples, 4 RBI
Ryan Brucker (2B) | 2 walks, 1 stolen base
Jayden Malone (RF) | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 hit by pitch
Chris Casey (DH) | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Kyle Binder (C) | 1 double, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 hit by pitch
Jake Stewart (1B) | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Elliot Seckman (LF) | 1 walk
Nate Bartman (SS) | 1 single, 1 inside-the-park home run, 2 RBI

Cougar Pitching
Blake Norton (W; 2-1) | 4 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Thomas Krueger | 1 inning, 1 hit, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts

GAME TWO | ILLINOIS CENTRAL 10, D1 COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN 0 (5 inn.)
After Mason Lynch tossed a 1-2-3 top of the first, the offense quickly added on with a Blake Norton singling, and Thomas Krueger (who had doubled) coming around to score for an early 1-0 lead. 

The Cougar defense stood tall as well. After back to back singles by the Lions in the second, Lynch drew a groundout and a strikeout to end the inning. 

Three straight ICC players reached (David Ripke reaching on an error, Connor Patton double, Nate Bartman hit by pitch) in the second, eventually setting up a first-pitch bases-clearing three-RBI triple from Krueger, which was quickly followed by a Norton RBI double and Malone RBI triple for a 6-0 lead. 

In one of the more rare series of events, Bartman would hit his second inside-the-park home run of the day, legging out a line drive to center field to pull away at 8-0. 

Norton would go all the way around the bases as well, although his was on a triple with an infield error, making it 9-0 in the fourth. 

The Cougars would pick up a walkoff run rule win in the fifth. A Parker Bellamy leadoff walk and a Jack Henson double put two in scoring position for the RBI machine for the day in Krueger, who roped one out to left field to score Bellamy and end the game in five. 

Cougar Hitting
Kaiden Lucero (LF) | 1 walk
Jack Henson | 1 double
Thomas Krueger (3B) | 1 double, 1 triple, 4 RBI
Blake Norton (P) | 1 single, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 RBI
Jayden Malone (RF) | 1 triple, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Jake Stewart (1B) | 1 single
David Ripke (2B) | 1 walk
Connor Patton (CF) | 1 double
Nate Bartman (SS) | 1 inside the park home run, 1 RBI, 1 hit by pitch
Parker Bellamy | 1 walk
Jace Easley | 1 single, 1 RBI

Cougar Pitching
Mason Lynch (W; 1-3) | 5 innings, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
@ #6 Southeastern Iowa Blackhawks (15-5)
Tuesday, March 18th - 4:00 PM First Pitch
at Wagner Athletic Complex - West Burlington, IA
Watch Live (ICCAC Sports Network)
Live Stats (GameChanger; "25 ICC Cougars Baseball")