Box Score: Southern Indiana 5, SIU Edwardsville 1
Box Score: SIU Edwardsville 5, Southern Indiana 0

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team split a doubleheader with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday afternoon in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles took the opener, 1-0, while the Cougars captured the nightcap, 5-0.

USI's record goes to 17-9 overall and 8-2 in the GLVC, while SIUE goes to 11-11 overall, 5-6 GLVC.

USI senior right-hander Jeremy Kehrt (Plainfield, Indiana) and junior right-hander Shaun Larsen (Tell City, Indiana) combined to lead the Eagles to a 1-0 shutout of SIUE in the opener. Kehrt (5-1) scattered six Cougar hits and stranded nine runners over six innings of work to get his team-best fifth win of the year. He also struck out five batters.

Larsen pitched the final inning to earn his eighth save of the year, tying the USI single-season record set by Rob Bowers in 1999. He stranded a pair two runners in the seventh in closing the door on SIUE.

USI scored the only run of the game in the fourth inning when sophomore second baseman Wes Fink (Clarksville, Tennessee) crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by junior rightfielder Chad Werry (New Harmony, Indiana). Fink started the fourth with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior third baseman Alex Thieroff (Greenfield, Indiana).

The Cougars returned the favor in the nightcap by shutting out the Eagles, 5-0. SIUE took its first lead of the series with a 1-0 lead in the first inning and sealed the victory with two runs in the third and fourth.

USI junior right-hander Matt Nichols (Evansville, Indiana) was tagged for the loss in the second game. Nichols (0-2) went the first four innings, allowing the five runs and striking out four.

The four-game series concludes with a noon single game on Sunday.