GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Gavin Wahlbrink pitched six shutout innings to lead Illinois Springfield to an 8-2 season-opening victory over host Tusculum Friday afternoon at Pioneer Park.

Friday's contest was supposed to be the first game of a doubleheader, but the second contest was halted in the top of the third inning due to rain. UIS (1-0) leads that game 1-0 with it resuming on Saturday. Game time will be determined as the weather forecast improves.

The Prairie Stars (1-0) jumped out to an 8-0 lead, scoring two runs each in the first and third innings and tacked on three more in the sixth.

Wahlbrink (1-0) scattered three hits and struck out eight Tusculum batters to secure the win for the visitors.

Mark Kattula, TJ Yakimisky and Mack Clark had two hits apiece for UIS.  Tusculum finished with eight hits including two-hit performances by Zane Keener, Will Samuelson and Max Schmarder.

In the top of the first inning, Kattula doubled in Brant Vanaman from first base for the game's first run. Yakimisky followed with a RBI single to make it 2-0 in favor of the Prairie Stars.

Yakimisky came through again in the third inning with his RBI single, while Clark followed with a two-run double to increase the UIS advantage to 4-0.

In the three-run, sixth inning Jacyk Uehling responded with the big hit of the frame with his RBI single as the Stars led 7-0.

Tusculum broke through in the bottom of the eighth inning as Zach Wilson reached on a one-out single and scored on Keener's second double of the young season. TU scratched a run in the ninth as Samuelson and Schmarder led off with singles. Later in the inning, Blaze McCauley brought in Samuelson with his sacrifice fly.

Tusculum starter Luke Absher suffered the loss as he went five innings, allowed four runs on seven hits, one walk and struck out two.