Box Score: Southern Indiana 5, SIU Edwardsville 1

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team started its five game road swing with a 5-1 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Friday evening in Edwardsville, Illinois. USI, which has won 12 of its last 13 games, raises its record to 16-8 overall and 5-1 in the GLVC, while SIUE falls to 10-10 overall, 4-5 GLVC.

The Screaming Eagles scored all the runs they would need with a two-out rally in the first inning. USI senior first baseman Matt Pleiss (Newburgh, Indiana) drove in junior second baseman Josh Huebner (Evansville, Indiana) with a two-out single to make the score 1-0. Junior third baseman Alex Thieroff (Greenfield, Indiana), who had walked and advanced to third on the run scoring single, scored on a throwing error when Pleiss stole second base to give USI a 2-0 lead.

Pleiss has been red hot for the Eagles in the last five games, hitting .654 (17-26) with six RBIs and six runs scored.

The Eagles would go up by four runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run homer by junior rightfielder Chad Werry (New Harmony, Indiana) and extended the lead to 5-0 with a single tally in the fifth. The home run was Werry's second of the year.

USI senior left-hander Cory Julian (Lynnville, Indiana) would make those five runs stand up by throwing his first complete game of the season. He allowed six hits and one unearned run, while striking out seven Cougars in nine innings of work.

Julian, who raised his record to 3-2, pitched his way out jams in the second, fifth, and seventh innings to earn the win.

The Eagles and the Cougars continue the four-game series Saturday with a doubleheader. The first pitch on Saturday has been moved up to noon. The four-game series concludes with a noon single game on Sunday.