GAME 1 SCORE: USI 5, UWP 3
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GAME 2 SCORE: UWP 4, USI 3
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team missed a chance at a doubleheader sweep and split with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Sunday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI took the opener, 5-3, but dropped the nightcap, 4-3.
The Screaming Eagles, who complete the homestand 8-3, go to 20-13 overall and 10-12 in the GLVC, while UW-Parkside takes its record to 2-18, 2-16 GLVC.
USI scored runs in each of the first four innings as it cruised to a 5-3 win over UW-Parkside in the opener. The Eagles posted a run in the first, a pair of tallies in the second, and single runs in the third and the fourth. UW-Parkside posted a run in third and made the game interesting with a pair of runs in the sixth before USI closed the door on the victory.
Eagles junior right-hander
David Toth (Danville, Indiana) posted his fifth win of the year, going the first 5.1 innings. Toth (5-2) allowed three runs on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out four.
Senior left-hander
Adam Carver (Arthur, Illinois) got Toth out of the sixth inning jam and picked up his third save of the year. Carver allowed one hit and struck out three in 1.2 innings of work.
In the nightcap, the Eagles missed a chance at the four-game sweep when they left the tying and winning runs at second and third in the ninth inning and lost 4-3.
The Rangers never trailed in the game, taking their first lead of the series with a run in the third inning. USI tied the score in the bottom of the fourth when freshman centerfielder
Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana) scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman first baseman
Andrew Cope (Evansville, Indiana) to tie the game, 1-1.
UWP responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to lead 3-1. The Eagles bounced back with a tally of their own to cut the deficit to 3-2 on a RBI-bunt single by freshman second baseman
Kyle Niemeier (Evansville, Indiana) that drove in junior rightfielder
Brad Wannemuehler (Evansville, Indiana) to make it a 3-2 game.
The deficit grew back to two runs when the Rangers grabbed the momentum and scored their fourth run in the top of the seventh after the Eagles lost a pair of runners on the bases in the sixth. USI got a little of the momentum back in the ninth when it scored its third run of the game, but stranded the runners in scoring position.
USI junior right-hander
Matt Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) took the loss for the Eagles. Bowles (6-3) allowed all four runs, three earned, on nine hits and struck out three in 6.1 innings of work.
The Eagles hit the road for the next six games, beginning with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday at Kentucky Wesleyan College. USI finishes the road swing April 20-21 at Lewis University for a four-game series.
