Batavia 6, Glenbard South 5

May is turning into a much kinder month for Batavia's baseball team.

Rebounding from a five-game losing streak, the Bulldogs notched their third straight win with Tuesday's 6-5 Western Sun Conference victory over Glenbard South in Glen Ellyn.

The middle matchup of the three-game series shifts today to Geneva's Elfstrom Stadium, with the final game slated for Thursday back at Glenbard South.

With junior aces Jordan Coffey and Brian Krolikowski set to pitch the final two games against the Raiders (15-10, 10-6), the month could become even sweeter for Batavia (14-9, 9-7).

"It's nice to get another one," said Batavia senior Shane Holl, who went 3-for-4. "It was tough the last couple of weeks, but it was just in our heads. We were making late-inning mistakes and now we're making the plays."

Sparked by leadoff hitter Alex Beckmann, who had a pair of hits, Batavia jumped to a 2-0 advantage in the top of the first inning and kept the lead. The Raiders, though, made it interesting.

The Bulldogs gained some comfort with a 3-run sixth, as Krolikowski, Ryan Welter and Mike Sentman each drove in a run to extend the margin to 6-2. Glenbard South countered with 3 runs in the bottom of the sixth when Joe Ramirez and David Suffern had RBI hits.

After Raiders starter Andy Manson (3-4) sent the Bulldogs down in order in the top of the seventh, Batavia reliever Matt Taylor did the same in the bottom of the frame to earn his second save. Left fielder Tim Drish helped the cause by making a diving catch for the first out.

Batavia starter Adam Karger (3-1) pitched 4 innings to earn the win.

"We stranded a lot of runners," said Raiders coach Mike Riley. "We had a lot of great opportunities. In the past we've come back to win games like that, but it didn't happen today."

Drish and Holl had RBI singles in the first inning, and the lead grew to 3-0 in the third on Coffey's sacrifice fly.

Glenbard South's Joe Biagini answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third, and the Raiders pulled within 3-2 in the fifth after Will Hill -- who went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles -- scored on an RBI single by Ramirez.

The Raiders stranded nine runners and twice left the bases loaded.

"We had the lead a lot during our losing streak, but just lost it in the sixth and seventh inning," said Bulldogs coach Matt Holm. "It's nice to break free from that funk and make the plays we need to be making."