BOX SCORES AND PLAY-BY-PLAY:
USI 10, IUS 5
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 30th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team scored seven times in the first two innings and held on to defeat Indiana University Southeast, 10-5, Tuesday night at the USI Baseball Field. USI raises its record to 22-7 overall, while IUS falls to 21-9.
With the victory, the Screaming Eagles have won 12 straight and are one win away from tying the program's longest winning streak of 13 that was set last season.
After IUS went down in order in the top of the first, USI scored four times on just two hits to lead 4-0. The Eagles kept the pressure on in the second inning, scoring three more runs on four hits to up the margin to 7-0. The second inning offensive explosion was highlighted by a two-run triple off the bat of senior rightfielder Caleb Ehmke (Waterloo, Indiana).
The Grenadiers made a game of it in the sixth inning, scoring five unearned runs off Eagles' sophomore right-hander Josh Schultze (Evansville, Indiana) to make the score 7-5. USI pushed the lead back to five with a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh and the 10-5 final.
Overall at the plate, Ehmke was a near perfect three-for-four with two runs scored, three RBIs, a triple, and a pair of stolen bases.
Schultze (3-1), who was dominant through the first five innings, earned his third win of the year for the Eagles. He allowed the five unearned runs on only six hits, while striking out six batters.
Eagles' junior right-hander Trevor Leach (Danville, Indiana) closed the door on the Grenadiers in the sixth, while senior pitcher/shortstop Wandy Rosario (Boston, Massachusetts) earned a save by pitching the final three innings.
The USI six-game homestand resumes Friday and Saturday when the Eagles host Drury University for a four-game series. The first pitch for Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m., while Saturday double dip is scheduled for noon.
