SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- PNW traveled to Springfield, Illinois for their season opener against the University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars. The home team jumped on the Pride early, and the Black and Gold were not able to overcome a large deficit as they found themselves down nine after just the second inning. 20-7 was the final score.

Starter Brandon Haczynski got the nod in game one, but could not find an answer for the Prairie Star offense early in the game. After just two innings, Illinois Springfield mustered up nine runs on 10 hits, taking over the game from the start. The Pride scored a few runs of their own in the top of the fourth on RBIs from Anthony Fumagalli, Jacob Soules, and two from Ray Hansen, but were unable to come back from there. The four-run inning from PNW cut the gap to just six, but UIS never let off the gas, leading by as much as 16 runs in the eighth inning.

Although the outcome was not what the Pride were hoping for, Fumagalli dazzled in his NCAA Division II debut, notching three hits with a double and two runs scored. Hansen went 3-4 with two RBIs, and seniors Hunter Thorn and Brett Veltema also collected a pair of hits.

The Pride step back between the lines tomorrow, looking to redeem themselves against the Prairie Stars for a Sunday doubleheader. Game one begins at 11 AM (CT) in Springfield, Illinois.