Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Dominican University baseball team got two more quality starts from Mitch McCaffery (Johnson Creek, Wis.) and Cody Mueller (Addison, Ill.) but split their first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) series of the 2014 season, topping the Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons 4-1 in game one before losing 6-5 in game two.

The split pushes the Stars to 7-6 on the season. Through 13 games, Dominican's pitching staff boasts a 2.40 earned run average while holding opposing hitters to a .259 batting average.

Dominican returns to familiar confines of Schaumburg Boomers Stadium on Monday for a NACC doubleheader with the Rockford College Regents. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m. with live stats and video available on the Stars' athletics website at www.dustars.com.

Game One – Dominican 4, CUW 1
McCaffery got the start in game one for the Stars, picking up the win in his third complete-game effort of the season. McCaffery was charged with just one run on seven hits and two walks while punching out seven. McCaffery's earned run average dips to 1.86 on the year as he moves to 2-2 in four appearances.

The Stars got on the board in the top of the third, scoring a pair of unearned runs after a Falcon error. With two down in the inning, Cody Schuster (Las Vegas, Nev.) doubled to center to plate Tim Varallo (Chicago, Ill.) and Joe Lyons (Chicago Ridge, Ill.).

The Stars put up a solo run in the fifth on a sac fly off the bat of Thomas Smith (Lockport, Ill.) to push the Stars' lead to 3-0. The Falcons did manage to get that run back in the bottom of the inning, stringing together back-to-back singles to open the inning and later scoring on a fielder's choice.

Dominican tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth on a Lyons' sac fly to left to score Kevin Schwer (Evergreen Park, Ill.) who reached on a single to open the inning.

The Stars outhit the host Falcons nine hits to seven, led by Varallo and Schuster. Varallo went 2-for-4 with a run and walk. Schuster also went 2-for-4 but had a double and two RBIs.

Game Two – Falcons 6, Stars 5
Mueller, making his third start of the season, handed a 5-1 lead off to the Stars' bullpen after eight innings before watching the game slip away in the bottom of the ninth as the Falcons knotted the game on a grand slam before walking off with the victory on a sacrifice fly. Mueller surrendered just one unearned run on seven hits in eight innings of work before the bullpen allowed five runs on four hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.

The Stars got on the board early in game two by putting two runs up in the top of the second. Schuster singled to open the inning and later scored on a fielder's choice while Lucas McKinney (Arvada, Colo.) scored on a fielder's choice and an error at the plate.

In the third, McKinney singled to center to drive in Joe Krasny (Berwyn, Ill.) to make it a 3-0 game.

The Stars held the Falcons scoreless until the seventh when the Falcons capitalized on a fielding miscue by the Stars.

In the ninth, Dominican appeared to tack on a pair of insurance runs when Varallo roped a triple to deep center to score two Stars to make it 5-1.

Ryan Freeman (Barrington, R.I.) started the ninth inning for the Stars. Freeman gave up a hit and walked two batters before giving way to Ryan Hoff (Marengo, Ill.) with the bases loaded. CUW tied the game on a first pitch grand slam hit to left field. The Falcons would close the game on a sac fly to make it a 6-5 final. Hoff would be tagged with the loss, dropping him to a record of 1-1.