Courtesy: WIU Visual Productions Center Mark DiBernardo threw a complete game, three-hit shutout in Western's 4-0 victory over IPFW in game one.

MACOMB, Ill. - A pair of strong pitching and hitting performances lead Western Illinois to a sweep of IPFW, winning 4-0 and 9-3, Monday afternoon at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

Game 1
Starter Mark DiBernardo (2-4) tossed a complete game to lead the Leathernecks (9-18, 3-4 The Summit League) to a victory in game one. The senior out of Monterey, Calif., allowed just three hits while striking out four and walking none.

After battling scoreless through three and a half innings with the Mastodons (7-19, 3-4 The Summit League), Western broke the tie in its half of the fourth. Brett Pendell drew a one-out walk and Kenny Price followed with a single into right-center. Price swiped second before Drew Laidig pulled a ground ball to the short stop. A throwing error to the plate allowed Pendell to score and Price followed when the ball got loose, making it 2-0.

The offense stayed on the attack in the fifth as Tyler Metcalf and Cole Waddell got consecutive one-out singles. A Lorenzo Gallaga double to right-center brought Metcalf home, while Waddell was thrown out at the plate just steps behind Metcalf’s run. Pendell then doubled to bring home Gallaga and give the Leathernecks a 4-0 cushion.

In the seven inning contest, Western knocked out eight hits. Gallaga led the offense with two of those hits, along with a run scored and one RBI.

Game 2
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Leathernecks (10-18, 4-4 The Summit League) utilized four hits in the first inning to grab the lead back for good in game two. Gallaga and Pendell got on board with singles to start things off before Price ripped a RBI-single to left-center. A Laidig grounder to the right side was enough to plate Pendell. Price trotted home on a Cooper Stewart single to center for a 3-1 advantage.

Metcalf got things rolling in the second with a double. Two batters later, Gallaga followed suit with a double of his own that brought in Metcalf. A blooper to left by Pendell platted Gallaga with the second run of the inning. Stewart delivered his second RBI-single of the game with two away, making it 6-1.

The Mastodons (7-20, 3-5 The Summit League) notched an unearned run off of Leatherneck starter Eric Eden (4-2) in the top of the fifth on a sac fly. Western answered that run in the sixth as Pendell, who had singled, scored on a Laidig ground out.

Two more runs were added in the seventh as an error and walk came back to hurt IPFW. Waddell picked up a RBI in the inning for the Leathernecks.

A single run for the Mastodons in the eighth off reliever Frank Zenisek closed out the scoring, giving Western the 9-3 victory, and its first Summit League series win of the year.

“After game one, we had our backs against the wall,” Western Illinois head coach Stan Hyman said. “After how we played in that game, you’re just hoping to come out and get a win. For the guys to take three straight, put us back at .500, and put us back in the playoff race was enormous. Most of the credit has to go to our starting pitching.”

Eden went 7.0 innings to earn the win. He picked up four strikeouts while walking none and allowing five hits.

“We played much better defensively,” stated Hyman. “Today was a day where we got a lot of good two-out hits. The key to winning is the two-out RBI. While we didn’t have a ton of those today, overall we hit the ball well with runners in scoring position.”

Providing a lift in the leadoff spot was Gallaga. The Frankfort, Ill., native was 4-for-7 on the day with three runs scored and two RBI.

“Gallaga is our spark, a spark who may explode in my head from times when he gets on base,” Hyman added. “He is just an offensive machine. He has proven in the last three games that he can get it done. By putting him (in the leadoff spot), it allowed us to drop Waddell and Wolf lower in the order to balance the attack. Those guys had a great weekend by constantly getting on and giving us good at-bats.”

The Leatherneck offense totaled 20 hits for the twin bill to go along with the 13 runs scored.

The pitching staff and defense allowed just three runs from the series finale in the three victories.

“We were able to play a little more aggressively than defensively,” Hyman said of the series. “We scored early in these games which put the pressure on them. It was enormous to continue scoring because we’ve been notorious for scoring early and then going dead. The guys were showing today more of the killer instinct that we haven’t shown before.”

The next scheduled matchup for Western is this weekend as it travels to Tulsa, Okla., for a series against Oral Roberts beginning Friday, April 18, with a 7 p.m. game.