KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Eighth innings proved to be tricky with McKendree (Ill.) outscoring the Bulldogs 6-0 in extras en route to a Saturday sweep, 3-1 and 9-5.
 
Truman State starters Isaac Epp and Nick Phillips each worked seven innings exiting after keeping the Purple and White even in regulation. Slight wildness in the bullpen allowed McKendree to score two eighth-inning runs in the Game 1 result while a Bearcat lead-off home run in the Game 2 eighth – the second of the day and fifth of the series – led to four runs and a Truman State loss.
 
Epp notched his second-consecutive seven strikeout game with none of his three free passes issued affecting the score. McKendree got its lone run off this week's Great Lakes Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on back-to-back doubles in the fifth, two of the five hits the junior southpaw allowed. The Bulldog offense staked Epp to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when a Dakota Joggerst grounder to short scored Rawlins Brant after Brant led the inning with a triple.
 
The follow up to a one-hitter for Phillips cooked along until a three-run Bearcat fourth when a wild pitch allowed McKendree to plate a lead-off walk to be followed by a Bearcat two-run dinger by centerfielder Chyron Cruse. The 4-1 McKendree lead held until Charlie Berry and Brant lead off the Bulldog fifth with singles; Berry scored on a Joggerst double then Brant and Joggerst crossed the plate to tie it at four on a single from Gavin Schieffer. Phillips got tagged for a leadoff home run in the sixth before the Bulldog run-manufacturing machine turned an Owen Browning lead-off hit by pitch in the bottom half into pinch runner Reed Drabant scoring on a Brant single.
 
Neither eighth inning proved to be overly successful for the Truman State pen after five strong innings Friday, while Bearcat pitching allowed the 'Dogs only two walks in the two games combined after issuing 12 in the Friday series opener. Truman State mustered just four hits in Game 1, all singles, after the Brant triple.
 
Truman State's offense knocked out 10 hits in Game 2 led by Brant's 3-5 with a run scored and an RBI effort. Joggerst and Luke Roussel each clubbed doubles with Joggerst scoring his team-leading 22nd run on the campaign. Oliver Degenhardt saw a 12-game hitting streak snapped on in an 0-2 game where the sophomore shortstop was hit by a pitch in the first and sixth innings.
 
The Bulldogs finish the day 8-22 overall, 5-10 GLVC, while McKendree goes to 6-23, 4-11 GLVC. The pair finish the weekend set with a nine-inning affair set for a 12 p.m. first pitch Sunday in Kirksville.