After an eight-run eighth doomed the Stars in a 12-4 loss in game one against the Lakeland College Muskies, right-hander Matt Dehn (McHenry, Ill.) scattered eight hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out five to help the Stars to a 4-3 win in game two to salvage a series split.

Dehn, pitching with a 4-1 lead in the seventh, surrendered a one-out single followed by a walk as the Muskies scored two runs in the inning to pull within 4-3. Dehn then gave way to the Stars’ bullpen to preserve the win. After Dan Hunoway (Tinley Park, Ill.) pitched a scoreless eighth, Sean Bolton (Western Springs, Ill.) came on to pitch perfect ninth to pick up his first career save.

The Stars scored all their runs in a four-run fourth, sparked by a leadoff single by Chris Anderson (Plainfield, Ill.). Chris Kemp (Oak Lawn, Ill.) reached on an error, trying to sacrifice Anderson over to second. Jesse Bongartz (Peoria, Ill.) moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt and Anderson scored as Bolton grounded out to short. Chris Garvey (Niles, Ill.) ripped an RBI single to left. After Garrett Flavin (Chicago, Ill.) and Casimir Zwiazek (Chicago, Ill.) reached on back-to-back singles to load the bases, Chad Polak (Westchester, Ill.) lined a two-run single to center to score Garvey and Flavin.

In the first game of the twin-bill, trailing 4-3, the Muskies scored eight runs in the eighth, getting six hits on three Stars’ pitchers, including lefty Zach Roszak (South Chicago, Ill.) who took the loss to fall to 1-4 on the season. Roszak allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out one.

Offensively, Kemp and Bongartz, the Stars’ five and six hitters, went a combined 5-for-9 and scored all four runs in the loss.

Dominican now stands at 7-18 on the season and 4-5 in the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) heading into a doubleheader with the Edgewood College Eagles on Monday.