The Dominican University baseball team took one step towards clinching a spot in the 2019 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament on Sunday, splitting a conference series with the Lakeland College Muskies, dropping game one 12-5 before taking game two 7-0, to move to 17-16 overall and 12-8 in the NACC.
 
With one conference series remaining on the 2019 slate, the Stars need just one more win to secure their spot in the six-team NACC tournament and can finish as high as third in the league standings.
 
The Stars will take a short break from league play, traveling to nearby Elmhurst College for a single game on Wednesday before closing out the regular season on Saturday with a twin bill against the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks at Schaumburg Boomers Stadium.
 
"The first game was disappointing," said Steve Hardman, the Stars' head baseball coach. "We did not compete in any aspect of the game.  Bryant Bagshaw salvaged the day for us with yet another great outing.  Behind his effort on the mound in game two, we were able to come out 1-1 for the day."
 
Game One: Lakeland 12, Dominican 5
 
The Muskies put up a nine spot in the top of the third inning and never looked back.
 
Freshman right-hander Hayden Young had his shortest start of the season on the mound for Dominican.  The rookie lasted just 2.1 innings, surrendering nine runs on nine hits and one walk.  In taking the loss, Young fell to 3-3 on the season.
 
Trailing 10-0 into the bottom of the fifth, the Stars cut the Muskies' lead in half, plating five runs on just three hits.  Tyler Trojan sparked the rally when he was hit by pitch with one away.  Kevin Evans worked a walk and Ryan Simak singled to load the bases.  Johnny Condron worked a walk to force home the first run of the game for Dominican.  Frankie Sessa followed with a two-run single and Mike Piotrowski followed with a two-run double but the Stars could not get any closer.
 
Game Two: Dominican 7, Lakeland 0
 
Freshman right-hander Bryant Bagshaw improved to 8-0 and set the Stars' single-season record for wins with a complete-game shutout in game two.  The Lake Havasu native worked around three hits and a Dominican error with the help of nine strikeouts.
 
After struggling for just four hits in game one, the Stars busted out for 12 hits, including four extra-base hits, in game two.  The bats staked Bagshaw to a 2-0 lead after the first, scoring on an RBI single from Sessa and a run-scoring double by Piotrowski.
 
Dominican manufactured a run in the sixth when Mason Baker was hit-by-pitch, took second on a balk and third on a wild pitch before scoring on a passed ball.
 
The Stars later put the game away with a four-run seventh.
 
Piotrowski paced the offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.