ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — The Truman State Bulldogs traveled to Romeoville for a four-game GLVC series against Lewis over the weekend, winning the opener before dropping the final three contests to fall to 8-21 overall and 2-14 in GLVC play. A nine-inning win in Saturday's first game, backed by a strong Isaac Epp start and timely hitting throughout the lineup, was the highlight of the trip.

Game 1 — Saturday, March 28 | Truman 6, Lewis 4

The Bulldogs put together their most complete performance of the weekend in the opener, building a five-run lead before surviving a late Lewis charge to earn the win. Truman got on the board in the first inning when Nick Steurer reached on an error, advanced, and scored on a Tyler Tieman groundout to make it 1-0.

The Bulldogs doubled the lead in the third when Oliver Degenhardt singled, stole third, and came home on an Evan Davis RBI single to right field. Truman then broke things open with a three-run fifth. Nick Steurer stole second and scored on a Tyler Tieman RBI single, Oliver Degenhardt stole third and scored on an Evan Davis RBI double to left field, and Tyler Tieman came home on a Shodai Nishihara sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-0.

Isaac Epp was outstanding, working 6.1 innings and allowing just two earned runs while striking out five to improve to 2-0 on the season. Lewis cut into the lead in the seventh on RBI plays by Coins and Daugherty to make it 5-2, and in the eighth a wild pitch brought Reed Drabant home to extend Truman's advantage to 6-2. The Flyers made it interesting in the ninth when Daugherty singled in Coins and Gonzalez doubled in Daugherty to close it to 6-4, but Alex Wittenauer, earning his first save of the season, got the final out to preserve the win. Evan Davis went 2-for-5 with two RBI, Oliver Degenhardt went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, and Nick Steurer added two stolen bases as well.

Game 2 — Saturday, March 28 | Lewis 5, Truman 3

The Bulldogs took an early lead in the afternoon game and held it into the fourth before Lewis rallied to take the win. Nick Steurer worked a walk, stole second, and scored on an Evan Davis RBI single in the first inning to give Truman a 1-0 lead. Jack Pearson then led off the second with a solo home run to make it 2-0.

Lewis tied the game in the bottom of the second. Phommachanhom singled to score Spellman, and John Henry Russell followed with a sacrifice fly to score O'Brien, knotting it at 2-2. Jack Pearson gave the Bulldogs the lead back in the fourth with an RBI single to score Gavin Schieffer, who had reached on a single and advanced on a wild pitch, putting Truman ahead 3-2.

Lewis answered in the fifth when John Henry Russell hit a solo home run to tie it again at 3-3, then took the lead for good in the sixth. Phommachanhom singled to score Hunley to make it 4-3 and later scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 5-3. Caden Carroll started and took the loss, working 5.2 innings, with Jack Pearson finishing in relief.

Game 3 — Sunday, March 29 | Lewis 7, Truman 2

Sunday's opener was tight early before Lewis pulled away in the middle innings. Joey Fentress gave Truman the lead in the second with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Gavin Schieffer, who had walked and moved to third on a Shodai Nishihara double, making it 1-0.

Lewis responded immediately in the bottom of the second, with Phommachanhom and Hunley each driving in runs to take a 2-1 lead. Nick Steurer answered for the Bulldogs in the third with a solo home run to center field to tie it at 2-2. Lewis reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third on a Chaltin sacrifice fly scoring Daugherty, then added two more unearned runs in the fourth when a Daugherty single and a left field error allowed Spellman and Coins to score, pushing the lead to 5-2. Phommachanhom put the game away in the fifth, tripling to right center to score John Henry Russell before coming home on a balk to make it 7-2. Nick Phillips started and took the loss, working four innings, with Jack Pearson finishing in relief.

Game 4 — Sunday, March 29 | Lewis 16, Truman 6

The finale was a difficult afternoon for the Bulldogs, as Lewis scored in five of seven innings and sent 43 batters to the plate. The Flyers broke through with three runs in the second — Coins singled in both Peterson and John Henry Russell, and Spellman singled to score Hunley — and added three more in the third when a wild pitch scored Gonzalez and Hunley's two-RBI single to left center scored Peterson and Chaltin, making it 6-0.

Evan Davis provided a bright spot in the fourth, hitting a solo home run to center to put the Bulldogs on the board at 1-6. Lewis kept adding runs, with a Peterson two-run home run in the fifth making it 8-1 and a five-run sixth — featuring a Chaltin two-RBI double and a Phommachanhom three-run home run — extending the lead to 13-2.

Truman rallied for four runs in the seventh. Joey Fentress singled to score Jaxon Markham, a Tyler Towe sacrifice groundout scored Fentress, a shortstop error brought in Reed Drabant, and Nick Steurer scored on a wild pitch following a Tyler Tieman RBI walk to make it 13-6. Lewis tacked on three more in the bottom of the seventh on a wild pitch, a John Henry Russell sacrifice fly, and a Phommachanhom RBI single to set the final at 16-6. Danny Lindsey started and took the loss.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will return home next weekend for a four game series against Illinois-Springfield starting on Thursday at 3:00 PM. Games two and three are scheduled for Friday at 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM, with the finale scheduled for Saturday at noon. 

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