JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Sophomore Owen Burnikel hit two home runs to lead the MSOE baseball team to a 6-4 victory over Elmhurst in the first of two games Friday at Lenz Field.

The Raiders (5-5) opened their trip by handing the Blue Jays (4-1) their first loss of the season, but came up on the short end of a pitcher's duel in game two to UW-Platteville (1-1), 2-0.

MSOE jumped ahead in game one on a first-inning home run from senior Tyler Doyle, but Elmhurst retaliated with a single run in each of the first two innings to take a 2-1 lead.

In the third inning, sophomore Garrett Willems drew a bases-loaded walk to draw the Red & White even and Burnikel broke the tie in the fourth inning with his first home run of the game. Senior Ryan Miller led off the frame with a walk and Burnikel followed with his first collegiate home run to right field.

Burnikel then went led off the eighth inning with a home run to right-center field as MSOE tacked on two more runs. A walk, single and error loaded the bases for Willems with one out. He drew another bases-loaded walk to make it 6-2.

Elmhurst pulled a run back in the eighth inning and rallied for an unearned score in the ninth, but could get no closer.

Doyle finished with three hits and two runs scored. Meanwhile, the lineup worked eight walks in the game, with senior Casey Magyar joining Willems with two apiece.

Sophomore Ryan Newman got the start on the mound and tossed 4.1 strong innings. He scattered five hits and a pair of runs, walking two and striking out two. Freshman Sam Crawford (2-0) earned the win in relief with 2.0 scoreless innings. He struck out three and conceded just two hits.

Junior Brandon McCumber earned the save by working the final 2.1 innings, striking out three.

In the night cap, the Red &White offense could not solve UWP's Austin Daniels in a pitcher's duel.

Junior Jacob Roley (1-1) went 7.0 innings, allowing three hits and just one run, striking out four. Daniels (1-0) struck out 15 Raider hitters in 8.0 innings, scattering five hits and two walks in the game.

The Pioneers scored the first run of the game in the third inning. Two hit batters and a walk loaded the bases with one out when a third hit batsman forced in a run.

Despite their struggles, the Raiders had just two 1-2-3 innings, putting runners on in seven innings. Unfortunately, they only had multiple runners twice and did not advance past second in either frame.

Back-to-back doubles to lead off the eighth inning added an insurance run for UWP, while a lead-off walk against Nathan Fay in the ninth was left stranded. Fay tossed a scoreless ninth for the save.

MSOE returns to the diamond in Jacksonville with two games Saturday. It starts the day at 10 a.m. against Northland and plays Loras at 1 p.m.