Box Score The Rockhurst Hawks (1-1) were able to get their first victory of the year thanks to excellent relief pitching from sophomore Alex Merithew and clutch hitting from senior catcher Jake Jones in sub-freezing temperature. In a game that lasted four hours and 30 minutes, the Hawks defeated the Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars 5-2 in 15 innings.
 
Junior pitcher Jake Goessling got the nod from head coach Gary Burns and cruised through the first inning. While warming up in the bottom of the second inning, Goessling felt discomfort in his arm and opted to take it safe and hand the ball over to the pitching staff.
 
The Prairie Stars jumped out to an early lead 2-0 after senior pitcher Trenton Perry had to make an emergency appearance after Goessling left the game. Rockhurst was able to cut the lead in half thanks to a UIS wild pitch.
 
Perry then passed the ball onto Merithew and he was lights out. Merithew pitched eight innings for the Hawks, only giving up two hits while striking out six. He then went on to retire the last 14 batters he faced.
 
Rockhurst was able to tie the game in the seventh inning thanks to a leadoff double to left field by sophomore third baseman Seth Soto. Senior DH Matt Stacks then had a very productive at bat pulling the ball to the right side of the field advancing Soto to third base. UIS starting pitcher Christopher Irwin helped the Hawks when he balked in the Soto to tie the game 2-2.
 
Both pitching staffs then put up 14 consecutive zeros until the Hawks were able to score three in the top of the 15th. With the bases loaded and two outs, Jones stepped up to the plate and with two strikes, drove the ball down the right field line for a two-run double.The Hawks added one more run when senior outfielder Calin McCourt reached base on an error by the shortstop, scoring the third run of the inning.
 
Sophomore Grant Otte closed out the last three innings of the game for the Hawks and was credited with the win. He gave up three hits, no runs and struck out seven of the 11 batters he faced. Sophomore shortstop Brett Marr paced the Hawks with three hits.
 
Rockhurst will take on regional opponents Tiffin (Ohio) and Illinois Springfield at 10 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively. Both games will be broadcast on the All-Access Hawks Network. Tune in to the live audio-only feed 20 minutes before each game. Listen live here.