EMERSON, Ga. – The 18
th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team blasted four home runs in a 13-2 victory over Augusta University in the Perfect Pitch Spring Swing Tuesday afternoon at the Lakepoint Sports Complex in Emerson, Georgia. USI sees its record go to 8-3 mark, while Augusta goes finished the day 13-7.
The Screaming Eagles, who re-entered the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25 for the second time today, wasted little time offensively by taking a 1-0 advantage in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by senior catcher
Ryan Bertram (Zionsville, Indiana). The 1-0 lead was just the start for the Eagles.
After a scoreless second, the Eagles scored 12 times over the next three innings, including a six-run third to put the game out of reach. USI second baseman
Sam Griggs (Evansville, Indiana) led the offensive surge with home runs in the third and the fifth, while senior centerfielder
Hamilton Carr (Evansville, Indiana) and sophomore designated hitter
Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) hit solo shots in the fourth and the fifth, respectively.
Griggs, whose blast in the fifth was a two-run round-tripper, finished the day three-for-three with a team-best three RBIs. The sophomore second baseman leads the Eagles through 11 games with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
On the mound, junior right-hander
Colin Nowak (Carol Stream, Illinois) picked up his first win as an Eagle. Nowak (1-0) worked six innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out four.
USI junior right-hander
Nick Coudret (Newburgh, Indiana) finished the game for the Eagles and got the save. Coudret (1) allowed a hit in three scoreless innings, striking out five batters.
The Eagles conclude action in the Perfect Pitch Spring Swing Wednesday when it plays Georgia College Wednesday at 2 p.m. (CST). The live stat link is available on GoUSIEagles.com.
USI returns to the Midwest and travels to Drury University for a three-game series March 11-13 for its first official road games of 2016 and finishes the road swing March 18 when it visits the University of Evansville.
The next home games for the Eagles are March 19-20 when USI hosts Quincy University for a two-game series.