PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College baseball team opened up their home slate by sweeping a double-header from Illinois Valley Community College on Saturday afternoon.  The Hawks took game one 9-2 while coming from behind to earn a dramatic 8-7 walkoff win in game two.
 
Andrew Skinner (Lyons, Ill., St. Joseph) delivered the game-winner in the nightcap, lacing a two-run single to score Nick Spagnola (Algonquin, Ill., Dundee-Crown) and Dan Duran (Skokie, Ill., Niles West) that capped off a day in which Harper (3-2) cranked out 20 hits in the two games.
 
“We battled pretty good and came back in that second game,” said head coach Cliff Brown.  “Anytime that you have a walkoff win, it's a good feeling.  It was a team effort.  We kind of scuffled a bit on the mound at times, but a win is a win.”
 
The Hawks won the opener that was a lot closer as the score indicated as Ryan Busse (Prospect Heights, Ill., Hersey) (1-1) hurled a complete game four-hitter, getting plenty of support from Spagnola and Skinner, who each went 3-for-3. 
 
Spagnola had the two big blows, depositing a ball over the fence in straightaway centerfield for a solo home run and a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning.  He also contributed a three-run double in a six-run sixth inning that broke the game wide open.  Skinner, meanwhile, reached base all four times and scored three runs.  Busse struck out five and walked three in earning his first victory of the season.
 
The second game didn't go as smoothly.  The Eagles scored twice in the first but the Hawks answered with three in the bottom half.  Brett Sklena (Skokie, Ill., Niles North) led off with a single and John Caravia (Norridge, Ill., Ridgewood) advanced him to third with another single.  After Spagnola's sacrifice fly scored Sklena, Duran put runners at the corners with a base hit, and Connor McHugh (Hoffman Estates, Ill., Schaumburg) put the Hawks in front with a two-run triple.
 
Trailing 5-4 in the fourth, McHugh led off with a double, and Ryan Guthrie walked with one out.  That set the table for Ricky Janokowicz (Carol Stream, Ill., Glenbard North), who battled back from a 0-2 count to lace a double into the left-center gap to plate McHugh and Guthrie.
 
The Eagles recaptured the lead in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer but the Hawks had a little magic saved up for the final frame of the seven-inning contest.  Spagnola started the rally with a single to left and advanced to second on an error by the left fielder.  Duran's walk on a full count set up Skinner's heroics.
 
Sklena, Caravia, Skinner and McHugh all tallied multi-hit games for Harper.  Greg Fox (Woodridge, Ill., Downers Grove South) (1-0) earned the win in relief, throwing the final two innings and striking out two.
 
“It was nice to see a couple of guys get going,” Brown said.  “Brett had a really nice day, both in the 9-spot and leading off.  Ricky had that big hit to put us right back into the game.  The run and hit on the last play was outstanding.  It was a good game to build off of.”
 
Harper returns to action on Tuesday, continuing their seven-game homestand with a double-header against Black Hawk College.  First pitch is slated for 2:00 PM.