HARRISBURG, Ill. -- Wabash Valley built an early 9-0 lead and coasted to an 11-1 victory over Southeastern on Friday in the first game of a Great Rivers Athletic Conference baseball series.
The second-ranked Warriors extended their winning streak to 15 games in improving to 41-9 on the year. They are 19-2 in the GRAC race, with a four-game lead on the loss side over Southwestern and John A. Logan with seven league games left.
Southeastern fell to 20-25 and 5-20, respectively.
Aaron Biddle's club scored three runs in the first, second, and fourth innings to gain control. And, with starting pitcher Jacob Frost in control on the hill, that was more than enough.
Frost threw five innings, allowing the Falcons only one run and five hits. The sophomore lefthander, now 7-1 on the year, struck out three and walked one.
Reliever Cade Schneider blanked Southeastern the rest of the way, striking out one in two innings of work.
In the first, Michael Lareau hit a 2-run single to put the Warriors on the board. He scored as well on a double by Bruce Jellison to make it 3-0.
WVC matched that output in the next inning. Richard Bonomolo, Jr. and Nicklas Williams both had RBI singles, and Jorge Rodriguez later added an RBI on a ground out to make it 6-0.
Bonomolo brough in two more runs in the fourth with a triple, the longest hit of the day. Rodriguez came through with a second run-producing ground ball that made it 9-0.
Southeastern broke up the shutout in the fourth by dinging Frost for one run.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Warriors scored two runs on a base hit by DH Bruce Jellison to make it 11-1.
Schneider then set the Falcons down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to wrap up the shortened win via the 10-run rule.
Bonomolo boosted his team-leading batting average to .473 with a 3-for-4 day at the plate with 3 RBIs. That is the fourth-best average in the country, according to NJCAA Division statistics.
Williams is right on his heels. His .450 mark (after a 1-for-1 game) is fifteenth best in the nation. He also is second in on-base percentage (.584), and seventh in walks (46).
Jellison, who matched Bonomolo with three RBIs, Jon Legrande and Luke Odden each had two hits for the Warriors. Rodriguez and Lareau both finished with two RBIs.
Saturday, the Warriors host Southeastern in a 12-noon doubleheader at Fournier Field.