Schaumburg, Ill. – The Dominican University baseball team opened NACC play and had their home opener against the Green Knights of St. Norbert College.
 
Game 1 Results:
Dominican: 10
St. Norbert College:0
 
How it Happened:
-Dominican came out of the gates on fire scoring 3 runs in the first inning. The first run was off the bat of Junior Matthew Earley when he hit an RBI double to left field. Senior Quinton Schwartz followed it up with a 2 RBI single to left field scoring Earley and Junior Tyler Johnson.
-Earley stayed hot in at-bat number two hitting an RBI double to left field scoring Junior Zach Helein.
-At the end of 3 innings DU led 4-0.
-In the 4^th the Stars added another run with Sophomore Ty Phillips hitting an RBI bunt single scoring Senior Gavin Zappe.
-Senior CJ Kalekas brought Earley home on a ground ball to third base that the third basemen made an error on, making the score 6-0 in favor of DU.
-Earley brought home his third RBI of the game in the 6^th on a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Phillips.
-Dominican was three runs away from their first slaughter rule win of the season, and the team responded by getting three runs in the bottom of the 7^th.
-Helein reached base on an error by the pitcher and scored Zappe. Junior Niko Krecu brought home the second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Senior Braiden Galvin. Phillips was the final run of the game and he scored on a wild pitch.  
-The Stars scored in 6 of the 7 innings and tallied 17 hits in the game.
 
 
Shining Stars:
-Senior Rocco Chiarito started on the hill for the Stars and was incredible. Chiarito threw a complete game with 6 strikeouts and only allowed 2 hits in all 7 innings. Chiarito picked up his first win of the season.
-Junior Matthew Earley led the Stars offensively going 3-3 with 3 RBIs, 2 runs scored, and 2 doubles.
-Senior Quinton Schwartz went 3-4 with 2 RBIs
-Sophomore Ty Phillips went 3-5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored.
-Junior Niko Krecu went 2-4 with a run scored.
-Junior Tyler Johnson went 2-4 with a run scored.  
-Senior Gavin Zappe went 2-4 with 2 runs scored and a triple.
 
Leading the Way:
Hits: Schwartz, Ealrey, and Phillips (3)
RBI: Earley (3)
Runs: Zappe, Phillips, and Earley (2)
2B: Earley (2)
3B: Zappe (1)
HBP: Galvin (1)
IP: Chiarito (7)
Ks: Chiarito (6)

 
Game 2 Results:
Dominican: 5
St. Norbert: 3
 
How it Happened:
-The Stars carried their momentum for the game one victory to game two scoring two runs in the first inning.
-Junior Niko Krecu brought home the first run on a sacrifice fly to right field, which scored Sophomore Ty Phillips. Junior Matthew Earley continued his fantastic day in game two hitting an RBI double to right field that brought home Junior Zach Helein.
-The score remained 2-0 DU until the top of the 4^th inning when SNC got on the board by scoring a run on two hits.
-Dominican answered instantly with Phillips hitting an RBI single to left field that brought home Senior Braiden Galvin.
-DU got their lead to 3 runs with Senior Quinton Schwartz bringing home Krecu on a groundball to shortstop.
-St. Norbert cut into the Dominican lead by scoring a run on two hits in the top of the 6^th inning.
-The Green Knights scored again in the 7^th inning, scoring a run on three hits.
-Earley added a run for the Stars in the bottom half of the 7^th inning hitting a solo homerun to left center field.
-Freshman Koufax Cranmer came in for the save in the top of the 9^th inning and earned his 3 save of the season, only allowing one hit in the inning.  
 
 
Shining Stars:
-Freshman Ethan Buckner made his first start in a Dominican Uniform and went 6 innings, picked up 6 strikeouts, and only allowed 2 runs.
-Freshman Ty Phillips ripped the cover off the baseball going 4-5 with an RBI, a run scored, and a double.
-Junior Matthew Earley continued his fantastic day going 2-3 with 2 RBIs, a run scored, a double, and a homerun.
-Junior Niko Krecu went 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored.  
 
Leading the Way:
Hits: Phillips(4)
RBI: Earley (2)
Runs: 5 Players (1)
2B: Galvin, Earley, and Phillips (1)
HR: Earley (1)
HBP: Johnson (2)
IP: Buckner (6)
Ks: Buckner (6)
Junior Matthew Earley was fantastic offensively for the Stars today going 5-6 with 5 RBIs, 3 runs scored, 3 doubles, and a homerun.
Sophomore Ty Phillips was a hit machine today going 7-10 with 2 RBIs, 3 runs scored, and a double.
 
What's Next:
The Dominican University baseball team improved to 9-6 overall on the season and 2-0 in conference play. The Stars will be right back at Wintrust Field Wednesday afternoon when Division Street Rival Concordia University Chicago comes to town. The first pitch between the Stars and the Cougars is set for 1:00 p.m.
 
Stay up to date with all Dominican University athletics:
@DU_Stars on Twitter and Instagram
Dominican University Stars on Facebook
Check out all our stories on dustars.com