Box Score: USI 3, GVSU 1
AKRON, Ohio. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team advanced to NCAA Division II North Central Regional championship game with a 3-1 victory over sixth-ranked Grand Valley State University Saturday afternoon in Akron, Ohio. Fifth-seeded USI raises its record to 40-21 overall, while top-seeded GVSU falls to 44-8.
The Screaming Eagles will be making their third appearance in the regional championship game, the first since 1994. The 40 wins mark only the third time in the history of the program that the Eagles have reached that plateau.
Sunday's championship game will feature USI and GVSU in a rematch. GVSU gets the re-match with USI after defeating Drury University in an elimination game Saturday night. The first pitch Sunday is 11 a.m. (CDT).
Eagles' senior right-handerÂ
Adam Vetter (Crown Point, Indiana) provided USI with a second straight complete game in the win. Vetter (7-4) allowed five hits and one run, while striking out four. The complete game was his fourth of the year.
USI had to wait until the fourth inning to plate their first run of the game. Eagles' junior second basemanÂ
Darin Mastroianni (Huntersville, North Carolina) led off with a triple and scored on single by senior rightfielderÂ
Hunter Slade (Newburgh, Indiana).
The RBI gives Slade 61 for the season, just three away from tying the single-season record of 64 set by Jason Krack in 1994.
The Eagles extended the lead to 3-0 in the sixth when junior first basemanÂ
Matt Pleiss (Newburgh, Indiana) scored on a RBI, two-out single by sophomore designated hitterÂ
Chad Werry (New Harmony, Indiana). Werry would come around to score on a RBI single by junior catcherÂ
Garrett Oros (Aurora, Illinois) after advancing to third on a single by third basemanÂ
Alex Thieroff (Greenfield, Indiana) to make the score, 3-0.
The Lakers would finally get to Vetter in the seventh when they were able to manufacture a run with a single, a walk, a sacrifice, and a ground out.
For more information about the North Central Regional,Â
click here .