DIXON, Ill. — Less than 24 hours after one of their sharpest home performances of the season, MATC couldn't recreate the same rhythm on the road Sunday, dropping both games of a doubleheader at Sauk Valley by scores of 10–2 and 9–5. The road sweep pushed the Stormers to 12–16 overall and 2–12 on the road.
The Stormers opened the day with early energy, jumping ahead 2–0 in Game 1 before the Skyhawks answered with a decisive surge across the middle innings. MATC showed resilience in the nightcap, briefly taking a 5–4 lead with a three‑run sixth, but Sauk Valley countered with a five‑run frame of its own to close out the sweep. It was a day defined by momentum swings that never fully tilted back in MATC's favor.
"It was a tough day," MATC head coach
Caleb Bounds said. "We just weren't able to capitalize on some of our opportunities early in the games. Sauk did a great job hitting everything we threw at them."
Game 1: Sauk Valley 10, MATC 2 (7 innings)
MATC opened the game with a sharp first inning but couldn't hold the early momentum, falling 10–2 in the opener as Sauk Valley answered with 10 straight runs across the second through fourth innings.
The Stormers jumped ahead 2–0 in the top of the first when
Carson Sieler singled, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a two‑out RBI double from
Gavin Garnica.
Easton Morehouse followed with an RBI single to score Garnica, but MATC left two runners on and wouldn't score again the rest of the afternoon.
Sauk Valley responded immediately, using a leadoff single, an RBI double and a hit‑by‑pitch to set up a two‑run double in the second to take a 3–2 lead. The Skyhawks added three more in the third on three hits, a walk and another hit‑by‑pitch, then broke the game open with a four‑run fourth fueled by two hits‑by‑pitches, two walks and a pair of doubles.
Starter
Isaiah Head took the loss, working 3.2 innings and allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on seven hits, three walks and seven strikeouts.
Bralen Mitcham steadied things with 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks, and
Charlie Cefalu recorded the final two outs of the sixth without allowing a baserunner.
MATC totaled six hits and left 10 runners on base while committing two errors. Sieler led the offense, going 2‑for‑2 with two walks and a run scored. Garnica doubled, walked, drove in a run and scored once, while Morehouse added an RBI single.
Austin Arnold finished 1‑for‑1 with a double.
Game 2: Sauk Valley 9, MATC 5 (7 innings)
MATC battled back from an early deficit and briefly took a sixth‑inning lead, but Sauk Valley answered with a decisive five‑run bottom half to hand the Stormers a 9–5 loss in the nightcap.
Sauk Valley opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first, but MATC responded in the second when Garnica singled, Arnold walked and
Tyler Lee singled to set up
Hayden Fellows, who delivered an RBI double to tie the game 1–1. The Stormers threatened again in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs before a flyout ended the inning.
Starter Travis Jones kept MATC in it through four innings, striking out five while allowing four earned runs on four hits and two walks. Sauk Valley's biggest swing came in the fourth, when a triple and a walk set up a three‑run homer that put the Skyhawks ahead 4–1.
MATC chipped away in the fifth as
Payten Jibben singled and later scored on a two‑out RBI single from Morehouse to cut the deficit to 4–2. The Stormers then surged ahead in the sixth. Lee led off with a solo homer to make it 4–3, and three walks set up a bases‑loaded situation. After a popout for the second out, Garnica lined a two‑run single into the outfield, with
Easton Stewart scoring on the throw to give MATC a 5–4 lead.
Unfortunately, that one-run advantage didn't hold. Sauk Valley opened the bottom of the sixth with a double and an RBI double to tie the game 5–5, ending
Connor Ziman's outing after one‑third of an inning.
Max Nottingham entered and picked off a runner at second for the second out, but the Skyhawks followed with a single, a walk and an RBI single to reclaim the lead. The next batter delivered the knockout blow — a three‑run homer to make it 9–5.
"I thought Travis Jones did a great job in Game 2 giving us a solid outing," Bounds said. "We were able to get the lead back in the sixth, but unfortunately we couldn't keep it."
MATC mounted one last push in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs after a walk to Stewart, but Jibben struck out looking to end the game.
Lee led the Stormers at the plate, going 4‑for‑4 with a solo homer and three singles. Garnica added two singles and two RBIs, Jibben reached three times with two hits and a walk, and Fellows doubled and scored.
UP NEXT
MATC (12–16) returns to action Tuesday with a single nine‑inning road game at Bryant & Stratton College. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
