CARLINVILLE, Ill. – Spalding baseball traveled Wednesday to St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent Blackburn. SU won game one, 12-2, and game two, 13-1.

SU moved to 12-9 (SLIAC 4-0), while Blackburn fell to 3-14 (SLIAC 0-3).

GAME ONE - SPALDING 12, BLACKBURN 2
The first inning went by quickly in the opening game of the doubleheader in Carlinville. Jake Mueller started strong, striking out the first batter and collecting the final out of the inning by fielding a groundout. Jacob Spanyer led off the second inning with a double to left center field. After advancing on a flyout by Whitt Callahan, Spanyer found his way home off a single by Matthew McDowell.

Dryden Schroeder got things going in the third inning with a single. Later in the inning, Spanyer knocked a single of his own to bring Schroeder home. Evan Fisher got to base on balls and found his way home thanks to a single by Callahan. Blackburn was able to steal a run back in the bottom of the inning, but Spalding took the 3-1 lead into the fourth inning. The fourth inning was very nice for the Golden Eagles as they scored two runs in the inning. Michael Speck and Joshua Wilmot scored in the inning for SU as they extended their lead to 5-1. 

Spalding continued their hot middle innings in the fifth inning, putting up four runs in the their half. McDowell, Wilmot, Speck, and Ethan Tuttle all tallied RBIs in the inning. Blackburn again stole back a run in the bottom of the inning, but Spalding carried a strong 9-2 lead into the sixth inning. SU boosted their lead to 11-2 in the sixth inning with both Spanyer and Fisher crossing the dish. Spanyer knocked another single to bring home Hunter Strong in the top of the seventh, extending the lead to 12-2. The Spalding defense held strong throughout the game, closing out the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. SU won this one, 12-2.

GAME TWO - SPALDING 13, BLACKBURN 1
Spalding continued their hot streak heading into game two of the doubleheader. SU got on the board early off the bat of Fisher. He singled, bringing home Strong and Tuttle to take a 2-0 lead early. Zach Vogt kept the streak of opening batter strikeout alive, striking out the first batter he faced. Both defenses held strong, with no runs scoring until the fourth inning. 

Fisher homered to open the fourth inning for the Golden Eagles. McDowell trotted across the plate later in the inning because of a costly error by the Beavers. Jonathan Lopez, who walked earlier in the inning, made his way home thanks to a single from Tuttle. This helped Spalding obtain a 5-0 lead. Blackburn got a run back in the bottom half of the fourth, but SU held strong. Fisher got things going again in the fifth inning, blasting the ball over the outfield fence. Spanyer followed this by reaching on a costly error by Blackburn. He went on to score later in the inning with the assist coming from a McDowell single, extending the lead to 7-1.

Spalding again put a 2 on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. Jesse Walter came in to hit for Schroeder and made the most of his time at the plate as he singled to left field. Both Walter and Tuttle crossed the plate in the inning as Spalding increased their lead to 9-1. SU's defense kept the Beavers off the board in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning, Ashton Blair came in to hit for Walter. He took his time in the box, earning a walk. Blair came home later in the inning, thanks to a double from Spanyer. Justin Lauersdorf also came in to hit in the inning, getting a single. Lauersdorf also made it home, this one off a sacrifice fly from Callahan. Xavier Rahman stuck with the theme of the inning, coming in to pinch hit, and earning a walk. Rahman went on to score, thanks to a single from Speck. The Spalding subs helped push the lead to 12-1. The Golden Eagle defense held strong in the bottom of the eighth to close out the game. SU completed the sweep, 12-1.

GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES

• Spalding extended their unbeaten streak to five games.
• The Golden Eagles remain undefeated in SLIAC play.
• Evan Fisher had two homeruns and five RBI's.

NEXT FOR SPALDING
Spalding will host their first SLIAC series against Westminster on Saturday. First pitch will take place at 12 p.m.