Box Score: USI 10, Indianapolis 1

SAUGET, Ill.. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team advanced to Saturday in the GLVC Tournament with a 10-1 victory over the University of Indianapolis Friday afternoon at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles raise their record to 37-20, while the Greyhounds finish the season with a 29-27 record.

The Eagles jumped out in front in the top of the first with a pair of tallies. USI junior second baseman Darin Mastroianni (Huntersville, North Carolina) provided the offense, beginning with an RBI double that scored junior centerfielder Michael Beaven (Indianapolis, Indiana). He finished the rally by scoring on a sacrifice fly by senior rightfielder Hunter Slade (Newburgh, Indiana) after stealing third base for his 51st theft of the year.

USI increased its lead to 5-0 in the top of the second. Junior leftfielder Bryan Rudden (Crystal Lake, Illinois) led off with a double and scored when the Greyhound rightfielder mishandled a single by sophomore third baseman Alex Thieroff (Greenfield, Indiana).

After a single by junior shortstop Kevin O'Hair (Scottsdale, Arizona) singled and a walk by Beaven with one out, junior first baseman Matt Pleiss drove in Thieroff by reaching on a fielder's choice that forced Beaven. Mastroianni finished the scoring for a second straight inning with an RBI single that plated O'Hair.

The Eagles would score five more times, posting a pair of tallies in the seventh and three more in the ninth for the 10-1 final. Beaven and Mastroianni crossed the plate in the seventh on the help of two Indianapolis errors.

In the ninth, Slade and junior designated hitter Josh Malone (Chesterton, Indiana) each drove in a run, while the Greyhounds helped the Eagles plate a third tally with an error.

For the game, Mastroianni was three-for-four to lead the way with two doubles, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. The GLVC Player of the Year's third hit of the day set a USI single-season record with his 81st of the year, breaking the old mark set by Matt Vince in 1992.

Pleiss and Thieroff also had a multiple hit game for the Eagles.

Slade finished the day with three RBIs and pulled to within six of the USI single-season record of 64 set by Jason Krack in 1994. Malone also had multiple RBIs with two.

On the mound, junior left-hander Cory Julian (Lynnville, Indiana) threw his fifth complete game of the year for the Eagles. Julian (6-3) allowed four hits and one run (a home run in the fourth), while striking out seven.

The Eagles continue in the elimination half of the GLVC Tournament bracket at 3 p.m. Saturday when they play fourth-seeded Bellarmine University.