GRINNELL, Iowa – The Grinnell College baseball team sewed up its fifth Midwest Conference South Division title in the past six years in thrilling fashion Sunday at Pioneer Park.
 
The Pioneers, who will host the MWC Tournament this coming weekend due to winning the crown, edged Illinois College 7-6 and then rolled past the Blueboys 6-0.
 
This marks the seventh year in a row the Grinnell, 11-5 in the MWC South and 18-17 overall, has qualified for the tourney and the third time since 2010 the Pioneers have hosted.
 
Grinnell will meet St. Norbert College, the No. 2 seed from the North Division, in the first round Friday morning at Pioneer Park. The North's top seed, Ripon College, will play Cornell College in the other first round game.
 
Ryan Penaflor '15, Matt Hammond '17 and Teague Towner '17 all had three hits for Grinnell in the Senior Day opener, while Anthony Mack '16 and Yuki Kawahara '15 added doubles.
 
The Pioneers had a dramatic comeback in Sunday's opener, rallying from a 4-0 deficit after Illinois College scored a run in the second inning and three in the third.
 
In the fifth, the Pioneers erupted for five runs with the aid of a two-run double to right by Mack, an infield RBI single by Towner and run-scoring single up the middle by Hammond. Three Blueboy errors also aided Grinnell's cause.
 
Illinois College tied the game in the bottom of the inning. The teams traded runs in the eighth, with Grinnell's coming across on Penaflor's RBI single to right-center.
 
Grinnell scored the deciding run in the ninth on Kawahara's RBI double to left-center.
 
John Essig '16 earned the win in relief and Sam Tinkham '16 collected the save.
 
In the second game, Ian Sales '15 tossed a complete-game five-hitter and struck out four to earn the win.
 
Grinnell also turned the first triple play in coach Tim Hollibaugh's coaching era at Grinnell. With runners at first and second in the fourth, shortstop Towner had a nice snag of a line drive and delivered a toss to Kahawara at second who went to Walker Bell '15 at first to get both runners off base.
 
Mack had four hits in the game, including a homer and double, while Hammond had three hits with a round-tripper. Penaflor had two hits.
 
Grinnell scored solo runs in the first, fourth, fifth and eighth innings on an RBI single to right by Hammond, Hammond's solo homer to left, Fisher's RBI single through the left side and Kawahara's run-scoring single to center.
 
In the ninth, Mack belted a two-run homer to left.
 
With the losses, Illinois College finishes at 9-7 in the MWC South and 17-19 in all games.