BOX SCORE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 16th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team started a six-game homestand with a 9-3 win over Kentucky Wesleyan College Tuesday night at the USI Baseball Field. USI raises its record to 17-8 overall and 9-2 in the GLVC, while KWC falls to 8-12, 2-9 GLVC.
The Screaming Eagles manufactured an early 3-0 lead with a run in the first and a pair of tallies in the second. Senior centerfielder Justin Blinn (Vincennes, Indiana) crossed the plate with USI's first run of the game after singling, stealing second base, advancing on a ground out, and scoring on a sacrifice fly.
USI continued to manufacture runs in the second inning and increased the lead to 3-0. Junior catcher Jarrod Rose (Mishawaka, Indiana) scored the Eagles' second run on a double steal with junior third baseman Ryan Kaczmarski (Mishawaka, Indiana). Kaczmarski scored the second run of the inning on a RBI single by senior second baseman Ben Griggs (Evansville, Indiana).
The Panthers got on the scoreboard in the fourth and cut the USI lead to 3-2. The Eagles got the run back in the bottom half of the inning when junior rightfielder Bryan Chestnut (West Terre Haute, Indiana) scored the eventual game-winning run on a ground out to make the score 4-2.
Chestnut had moved into scoring position after being hit by a pitch and stealing second and third.
KWC rallied back with a tally in the top of the fifth to cut the lead back to one for a second inning, 4-3, but USI responded with senior leftfielder Michael Huling (South Bend, Indiana) crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly by senior designated hitter Tyler Choate (Carmi, Illinois) to make the score 5-3.
The Eagles would seal the victory with a four-run seventh inning to give the game its final score of 9-3. USI was aided by three KWC errors in the inning.
Choate led the Eagles with three RBIs, while junior shortstop Brad Vance (Louisville, Kentucky) drove in a pair. Huling was the only Eagle with multiple hits, getting two of USI six total hits in the game.
On the mound, junior right-hander Silas Dill (Bernie, Missouri) came out of the bullpen to get his first victory as an Eagle. He relieved senior right-handed starter Jared Canterbury (Petersburg, Illinois) in the fifth and finished the game for USI.
Dill (1-0) allowed just two hits and struck out two in his 4.2 innings of work. Canterbury went the first 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks.
The Eagles and the Panthers conclude the short two-game series at the USI Baseball Field Wednesday at 6 p.m.
