GAME 1 SCORE: USI 3, Saint Joseph's 2
Box Score (Sortable) | Box Score (HTML) GAME 2 SCORE: USI 17, Saint Joseph's 6
Box Score (Sortable) | Box Score (HTML) EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The ninth-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team overwhelmed Saint Joseph's College in a doubleheader sweep, 3-2 and 17-6, Saturday evening at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles go to 34-8 overall and 25-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while Pumas fall 17-28, 12-19 GLVC.
The victory takes USI's winning streak to a season-high 13 games and 20 of the last 21 contests. USI is two short of the school record 15-straight set by the 2010 national championship team.
The Eagles also lowered its magic number to win the GLVC East Division to two games with the two victories and a loss by the University of Indianapolis in game one of its doubleheader at the University of Illinois Springfield. A USI victory and a UIndy loss on Sunday would give the Eagles their first GLVC East Division crown since 2011.
USI sophomore first baseman
Andrew Cope (Evansville, Indiana) singled in the winning run with one out in the seventh inning as the Eagles took the opening game, 3-2. Senior second baseman
Caleb Eickhoff (Evansville, Indiana) crossed the plate on Cope's single after reaching on a fielder's choice and advancing to third on a single by junior rightfielder
Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana).
The Eagles had to come from behind for the second game in a row as the Pumas took the initial lead, 1-0, in the top of the third. USI responded in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI walk by Cope and an RBI fielder's choice by junior shortstop
Matt Chavarria (Carlsbad, New Mexico).
Saint Joseph's tied the score, 2-2, in the top of the sixth, setting the stage for Cope and the Eagles in the seventh.
On the mound, senior right-hander
Matt Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) earned his team-best seventh win of the year. Bowles (7-2) allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks, while striking out five in the seven-inning complete game.
In the nightcap, the Eagles pounded the Pumas with 17 runs on 19 hits as they completed the doubleheader sweep, 17-6. USI scored once in the first, three in the second, five in the fourth, three in the sixth, and four in the seventh to fly over Saint Jospeh's.
Bowles, who started game two at third base, led the offensive attack by going four for five with two runs scored and three RBIs. Sophomore catcher
Ryan Bertram (Zionsville, Indiana) also had three RBIs in the dominating victory.
USI senior right-hander
David Toth (Danville, Illinois) record his fourth win of the year and lowered his nationally ranked ERA to 0.71 in the nightcap. Toth (4-1) went six scoreless innings, scattering four hits.
The series concludes Sunday with USI Senior Day at noon.
