In one of the wildest games played this spring, John A. Logan College rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth to erase one deficit and then tallied the winning run in the 11th inning as the Volunteers defeated Southwestern Illinois 11-10 in game one of a Great Rivers Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday afternoon. Logan would then cruise to an 8-0 win over the host Blue Storm in game two.

Trailing 9-8 in the ninth, sophomore outfielder Lucas Hileman ripped a single to start the frame. One out later, Marco DiRoma doubled into the gap in right center, scoring Hileman from first. DiRoma advanced to third on the play and scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice grounder off the bat of Derek Trovillion.

SWIC tied the game in the bottom of the ninth off Tyler Newhart with the aid of an error by Vols’ second baseman Cody Poole. Newhart pitched superbly in relief of starter Mike Guinane from the third inning through the ninth.

After a scoreless 10th inning of relief from Cale Wine, the Vols regained the lead for good in the 11th.
DiRoma stroked his fourth hit of the game – a single – to start the inning. Derek Mattea singled. Trovillion singled in DiRoma. The Vols would then strand Mattea and Trovillion on second and third with nobody out.
Jayden Pobst was summoned from the bullpen for the Vols to pitch the bottom half of the frame. He walked the first two batters he faced and was replaced by shortstop Chase Greenwell.

Greenwell fielded a sacrifice bunt for the first out and then struck out SWIC’s last two batters swinging to earn his first save of the year. Wine was credited with the win.

“I just knew I had to throw strikes and get outs,” Greenwell said. “I didn’t let the baserunners bother me. I just wanted to keep my composure and throw strikes.”

In game two, Logan starter Erik Shannahan closed the door on the Blue Storm, shutting out the hometowners on four hits in a seven-inning complete game. He struck out six in the process.

The Vols, now 18-4 overall, 3-0 in the GRAC, finally broke through against SWIC’s lefty starter, Spainhoward, for one run in the fourth and three in the fifth highlighted by a two-run single from DiRoma.
The Vols tacked on two in the sixth as Trovillion homered and Mike Kane doubled in Brandon Alexander, who had doubled. They added two final runs in the seventh.

“We battled and battled and battled. You want to win that first game in a doubleheader, so you can sit back and do a few things knowing you already have one W on the day,” said Logan head coach Jerry Halstead. “In game two, Shannahan did a good job of keeping SWIC’s hitters off stride. If we get pitchers to put goose eggs up there on the scoreboard like Shanny did today, we’re going to have a heck of a year.”

Logan returns to action Tuesday at Rent One Park in Marion with a doubleheader against Shawnee College. Next conference game is Thursday at Wabash Valley.