The Dominican University baseball team split a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) road series on Saturday, taking game one 3-0 before dropping the nightcap to the Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons 3-0.
 
The split pushes the Stars to 17-16 overall and 11-7 in league play with five games remaining on the 2019 regular season slate.  Dominican is scheduled to be back in action on Sunday, hosting the Lakeland University Muskies for a NACC twin bill.  First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Schaumburg Boomers Stadium.
 
"We got a much-needed, great outing from Trevor Fulmer," said Steve Hardman, the Stars' head coach. "He had three pitches working for him and kept CUW off-balance.  We played some great defense behind him and were able to scratch across a couple runs late in the game to secure the win. In the second game we had another great outing from Tyler Kara but unfortunately we couldn't get the big hit when we needed to. We were able to get guys on but couldn't get them in.  We came out with a split and that gives us a chance to win another weekend with a doubleheader tomorrow."
 
Game One: Dominican 3, Concordia Wisconsin 0
 
Fulmer, a freshman right-hander, tossed his first complete-game of the season, holding the Falcons scoreless on just four hits and one walk over the nine innings while striking out a season-high seven.  In picking up the win, the rookie improves to 2-3 on the season while lowering his earned run average to 4.50.
 
Offensively, the Stars put up 11 hits with each of the top four hitters in the order picking up two hits apiece.
 
The Stars pushed across the game's first run in the top of the third.  Ryan Simak worked a one-out walk and the Stars then loaded the bases when Johnny Condron and Frankie Sessa lined back-to-back singles.  Mike Piotrowski followed with a run-scoring single to left but Dominican failed to break the game open when the next two hitters popped out.
 
The Stars again loaded the bases with one away in the top of the sixth, this time getting a run when Johnny Condron reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Bryant Bagshaw to score from third.
 
Dominican managed another single run in the top of the eighth. Simak worked a two-out walk ahead of back-to-back singles from Condron and Sessa, pushing Simak across for the insurance tally.
 
Simak, Condron, Sessa and Piotrowski all collected two hits while Brandon Diedrich, Tyler Trojan and Kevin Evans tallied one hit apiece.
 
Game Two: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Dominican 0
 
The Stars got another complete-game effort on the mound but this time the bats fell quiet, managing just six hits in a 3-0 loss to the Falcons.  Kara went the distance, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four in his third start of the season.  With the loss, Kara fell to 2-4 on the season in 12 appearances.
 
After getting shutout in game one, the Falcons snapped an 11-inning scoreless streak in the bottom of the third, striking for two runs.  Drew Johnson and Christian Gerner reached on back-to-back singles with one out. The pair then moved up to second and third on a wild pitch.  Johnson then scored when Johannes Haakenson bounced out to second.  After a walk, Gerner came across when Austen Dart singled to right.
 
Johnson helped tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, leading off the frame with a triple and then scoring on a sac fly off the bat of Gerner.
 
The Stars threatened a couple of times but bounced into a pair of double plays.  In the ninth, Sessa started the inning with a single and Piotrowski was hit-by-pitch as the Stars put the first two runners on base.  The Falcons' Beau Wills entered the game and nailed down the save, getting the next three hitters to end the game.
 
All of the Stars' hits came from the top three in the lineup with Sessa going 3-for-4 and Simak 2-for-4 while Condron finished game two 1-for-4.