GAME 1 BOX SCORE; GAME 2 BOX SCORE

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The 14^th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team split a doubleheader with Lewis Monday afternoon in Romeoville, Illinois. The Flyers took game one, 5-4, but the Screaming Eagles bounced back to take the nightcap, 6-3.

 

USI sees its record go to 24-10 overall and 16-4 in the GLVC, while Lewis falls to 18-11, 11-7 GLVC.

 

The Eagles picked up the win in game two on the arm of senior right-hander Dan Marcacci (Jupiter, Florida), who made his first start of the year after spending the first half of the season in the bullpen as the closer. Marcacci (2-1) went the distance in his first start, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out three in the game and set down the last 13 Flyers in order.

 

At the plate, USI scored all of the runs Marcacci would need in the top of the first inning when it pushed four runs across the plate. Lewis cut the lead to 4-3 with a three-run second inning, but USI freshman rightfielder Brad Wannemuehler (Evansville, Indiana) sealed the win with a two-run single in the top of the sixth to give the Eagles the 6-3 final.

 

In addition to Wannemuehler, senior designated hitter Tyler Choate (Carmi, Illinois) and senior leftfielder Michael Huling (South Bend, Indiana) also had a pair of hits in the game. Choate also scored and had a RBI in the first inning, while Huling scored on Wannemuehler's single and drove in a run in the first inning.

 

In the opener, the Eagles could not come back from a pair of deficits in falling to the Flyers, 5-4. Lewis took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of second inning, but USI bounced back to tie the game with a pair of manufactured runs in the bottom of the third inning.

 

USI took its first lead of the game, 3-2, in the next inning, while Lewis tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth. The Flyers pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for the final, 5-3.

 

The Eagles tied to tie the game in the top of the seventh, but left the tying and the go ahead run on after cutting the Flyer lead to 5-4.

 

USI junior right-hander Josh Schultze (Evansville, Indiana) took the loss for the Eagles after going 5.1 innings. Schultze (3-4) allowed five runs on 10 hits and five walks, while striking out three.

 

The Eagles are scheduled to finish the six-game road swing Tuesday when cross the Ohio River to play 1 p.m. doubleheader at Kentucky Wesleyan College. USI took the first two games from KWC last month at home, 9-3 and 10-0.