Somers, Wis. – The UW-Parkside baseball team suffered a sweep at the hands of Lewis University on Tuesday at Oberbruner Field. The Rangers dropped a hard-fought opener, 7-6, before coming up short in the nightcap, 6-3.
 
The Flyers improved to 10-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and 19-7 overall. The Rangers are 5-9 in the league and 11-15 on the season.
 
Parkside will now head to Saint Joseph's this weekend for four games with the Pumas. They'll look to a break their short losing streak before coming back home next week for six games.
 
Game One (Box Score)
Things got off to an inauspicious start for the Rangers as Ben Albano homered in the top half of the first to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead. They added one more in the second and held that lead until Parkside clawed its way back in the sixth.
 
Corey Stonelake reached on a bunt single with one out and Tyler Gieseking and Cody Gilles followed with base hits to load the bags.
 
Mike Anderson came up next and chopped one to first but the ball was misplayed and everyone was safe. Chris Glynn knocked in pinch-runner Shane Hayes with a single on the next pitch to make it 3-2.
 
Eric Abel was next and he reached on a hit by pitch. That forced in Gilles and tied the game. Kirk Haviland capped the rally with a sacrifice fly, bringing in Anderson with the fourth run of the inning.
 
The back-and-forth began as Lewis put up two in the top of the seventh against Josh Geiger to re-take the lead.
 
The Rangers evened it up at five when Hayes singled back up the box in the seventh. That scored John Brennan who had walked to start the inning.
 
Lewis got another run in the eighth but Parkside answered immediately. Glynn doubled off the right field wall to get things started. Abel followed with a great sacrifice bunt. The throw from third was caught but a collision at first jarred the ball loose.
 
Heads up base running by Glynn paid off as he took off for the plate while the ball trickled into right field. The throw to the plate was just late and the game was tied at six.
 
Unfortunately the Flyers struck the last blow as Andrew Brauer singled in Michael Bolling with one out in the ninth for the eventual winning run. Bowling had gone from first to third on a failed pickoff attempt leading to an unearned run.
 
The Rangers went 1-2-3 in the ninth.
 
Parkside pounded out 11 hits let by a 3-for-3 day from Gieseking. Glynn, Gilles, and Stonelake all had two hits.
 
Ryan Windt took the loss allowing two runs (one earned) in two innings of relief.
 
Game Two (Box Score)
Once again the Flyers forced the Rangers to play catch-up with a first inning home run. Brian Norwood's three-run home run with two outs gave Lewis a 3-0 before Parkside stepped to the plate.
 
The Rangers scored a single run in the first two innings to get within one. Anderson lined an RBI-single in the first and Stonelake did the same in the second.
 
Lewis padded its lead against Josh Hudnut in the fifth scoring two more times to open up a 5-2 advantage.
 
The Rangers got one of those back in the bottom half when Gilles brought home Stonelake on a shot down the third base line.
 
Unfortunately Lewis added one more in the sixth to cap the score and secure the sweep.
 
Gilles went 2-for-3 in game two as the Rangers were held to six hits. They left six on base in the game while committing two errors.
 
The team will be in Indiana this Friday and Saturday for four games with Saint Joseph's. They'll be back at Oberbruner Field next Tuesday for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader with Cardinal Stritch University.