ROCKFORD, Ill. – First-year Brian Lyle was perfect at the plate and the Maroons' pitching staff combined to strike out 12 batters to lead the University of Chicago baseball team to a solid 9-4 win at Rockford University Wednesday.

Lyle was 5-for-5 with a double and an RBI and Ravi Bakhai highlighted the Maroons' six pitchers with the win (1-0) and six strikeouts of his own, as UChicago allowed just two earned runs and six hits.

The first inning proved kind to the visitors, as UChicago (19-9) built an early 4-0 lead in the top half of the frame. Maximiliano Larsen crossed the plate first, capitalizing on a fielding error after Ian Bohn's single to center field.

Brady Sarkon added an RBI and the Maroons scored two more with the help of another Regent miscue. Payton Jancsy's RBI-single to left field completed his team's scoring and gave UChicago an early advantage.

Rockford (13-14) would answer with three runs in the third with two RBI doubles down the left field line, but the Maroons had an answer in the fourth, plating two more runs. Larsen and Bohn each delivered RBI singles to push the lead back to 6-3.

UChicago would get another run in the fifth – via Lyle's RBI-double – and two more in the eighth on Josh Parks and Bohn RBI to lead 9-3. The Regents did net one in the eighth, uearned, on a sacrifice fly to complete the game's scoring.

Three other Maroons tallied two hits each, as Bohn (two RBI), Larsen (RBI) and Jancsy (RBI) were also solid at the plate.

Relievers Patrick Rogers and Nate Hendley added two Ks apiece to round out UChicago's pitching leaders.

NEXT GAMES:

• Saturday, April 28: Caltech at UChicago (DH), 12 PM CT