BOX SCORES AND PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Game 1: USI 10, Quincy 5
Game 2: USI 8, Quincy 7
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 16th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team clinched GLVC West Division with a doubleheader sweep at Quincy University Saturday afternoon, 10-5 and 8-7. USI goes to 37-12 overall and 23-5 in the GLVC, while Quincy falls to 26-21, 13-16 GLVC.
The third straight GLVC West Division title is the first time in the history of the baseball program that USI has won three straight conference regular season titles.
In the opener, USI started the scoring with a 3-0 lead after three-and-a-half innings. Quincy cut the lead to 3-2 with a pair of tallies in the bottom of the fourth. The Eagles pushed the lead back to two on a solo home run by junior centerfielder Justin Blinn (Vincennes, Indiana) in the fifth, before the Hawks added another run in the bottom half to cut deficit in half at 4-3.
After the Hawk tied the score 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles scored three times in the seventh and three more in the ninth to win 10-5.
USI was led in the first game by senior shortstop/pitcher Wandy Rosario (Boston, Massachusetts), who was four-for-five with five RBIs at the plate. He was followed by Blinn, who was three-for-four with four runs scored, a RBI, a triple, and a home run. The home run was Blinn's fifth of the season.
On the mound, junior right-hander Trevor Leach (Danville, Indiana) picked up his team-high eighth win of the year. Leach (8-1) went six innings, allowing nine hits, four runs (two earned). He also struck out seven batters.
The Eagles screamed out to a 7-0 lead after two innings in the nightcap, but had to hold on to win 8-7. The Hawks scored six times in the third to cut the margin to 7-6. USI pushed another run across in the fourth, while Quincy was only able to score once more for the 8-7 final.
Blinn drove in two more runs in the nightcap, while senior rightfielder Caleb Ehmke (Waterloo, Indiana) had three hits, scored a run, and drove in a run.
USI junior right-hander Taylor Dennis (Covington, Indiana) won his seventh game of the year by going six innings. Dennis allowed 10 hits and seven runs, while striking out one. Rosario finished the game for Dennis with a perfect seventh to post his ninth of the year.
The Eagles and the Hawks conclude the 2010 regular season on Sunday with a noon doubleheader.
