The Dominican University baseball team dropped a Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) doubleheader on Monday, falling to the Benedictine University Eagles 15-4 in game one and then 10-2 in game two. The pair of losses drops the Stars to 7-25 on the season and 4-11 in conference play heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Dominican’s
Dan Hunoway (Tinley Park, Ill.) got roughed up in his seventh start of the season, surrendering nine runs, all earned, on 11 hits in three-plus innings of work. The senior right-hander falls to 2-4 on the season.
The Eagles got on the board in the second, putting up four runs on six hits in the top of the second. Benedictine extended its lead to 9-0 in the top of the third, tacking on five more runs on five hits and one Dominican error. The big shot in the inning, a two-run double by Dan Zust. Zust went 3-for-3 in the ballgame with four runs batted in.
Dominican got two runs back in the bottom of the third as
Lenny Cunzalo (Chicago, Ill.) had an RBI single ahead of
Chris Anderson’s (Plainfield, Ill.) RBI-double. However, the Stars left a pair of runners in scoring position as
Chris Kemp (Oak Lawn, Ill.) flew out to right to end the frame.
The Stars got two more runs in the bottom of the seventh to narrow the gap to 9-4 as
Jonathan Basinski (Chicago Ridge, Ill.) singled home Casimir Zwiazek (Chicago, Ill.) and then scored on a Cunzalo sacrifice fly.
The Stars could not get any closer and the Eagles tacked on six runs in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach.
The Eagles again jumped out to an early lead in game two, pushing across one run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Tim Gindville. The Eagles then plated three more runs in the top of the second to take a 4-0 lead before cruising to their 17th win of the season and ninth win in NAC play.
The Stars managed just three hits in game two of the twin bill while the Eagles pounded out nine hits and took ten free passes from the Stars’ pitching staff.
Jesse Bongartz (Peoria, Ill.) took the loss on the mound for the Stars, falling to 1-2 on the season in his third career start. The Stars’ senior right-hander allowed seven runs, five earned, on seven hits and five walks over six innings.
The Stars return to action, looking to snap a seven-game losing skid, on Saturday, April 30, traveling to Rockford College to take on the Regents. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
