Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LISLE, Ill. - The Benedictine University baseball team brought the bats in a doubleheader sweep of Marian, combining for 26 runs and 33 hits in wins of 16-0 and 10-3 over two of the top pitchers in the conference.

GAME ONE: BENEDICTINE 16, MARIAN 0 (SEVEN INNINGS)
Benedictine netted 13 runs in the fourth inning to cruise to a win in the opener.

The Eagles opened the scoring with two first inning runs. Dan Zust led off the game with a single and swiped second with one out. With the bases loaded following back-to-back walks to Ryan Mullin and John Cervantes, Tom Higgins opened the scoring with an RBI single. Nick Karakosta's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 2-0.

The fourth inning saw Benedictine almost bat around twice, sending 16 men to the plate in scoring a season high 13 runs on 10 hits to chase Marian starter Sam Forkert after hitting for the cycle as a team. The first seven batters of the inning reached before Forkert was lifted and an out recorded. Karakosta led off with a double and Steve Cocat dropped a single to left. Tim Hendricks drew a walk to load the bases before a Chris Wanderling walk forced home a run. Zust collected an RBI single and Uli Ortiz roped a two-run double. Other big hits in the inning included a two-run triple from Karakosta, a two-run homer from Hendricks, his first of the season, and a bases clearing double to right from Mullin, scoring three.

Benedictine's final run scored in the bottom of the fifth on a Mike Luschen RBI single. Mark Belcastro pitched six shutout frames, allowing just four hits, to up his record to 7-0 in seven starts. Matt Vucovich finished out the game with a perfect seventh.

In addition to matching a season high run total, the Eagles smacked 16 hits. Zust led the way with three while Mullin, Karakosta, and Wanderling picked up two apiece. Mullin knocked home four runs while Karakosta drove in three.

GAME TWO: BENEDICTINE 10, MARIAN 3
Four second inning runs set the stage for Benedictine to streak to another victory, riding 17 hits to the sweep.

Cervantes and Higgins posted back-to-back doubles to open the scoring in the bottom of the second. Hendricks delivered an RBI fielder's choice to expand the lead to 3-0. Tim Gindville lined a double to right-center to score Hendricks from first with the final run of the inning.

Marian came back with an unearned run in the top of the third to pull within 4-1. Benedictine also notched a run in the third to again make the margin four runs at 5-1. Karakosta lined an RBI double to score Cervantes. A three-run fifth stretched the margin to 8-1. With two runners on, Higgins connected on a three-run homer.

Cocat delivered an RBI single in the sixth to make it 9-1, and Gindville hit the third Benedictine homer of the game in the seventh with one away to pad the lead to 10-1. Marian scored two runs in the top of the ninth to account for the final tally.

Mike Irgang did not allow an earned run in seven innings of work to up his record to 3-2, striking out four batters. Higgins and Cervantes each collected three hits as eight of the nine batters in the lineup posted at least one hit with seven notching more than one. Higgins drove in four with Gindville adding two.

Benedictine has posted 10+ hits in four consecutive contests. The Eagles (16-13, 10-4 NAC) will play a road doubleheader on Sunday at Concordia Wisconsin at 12:00 p.m.