EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Baseball swept Lewis University in the Screaming Eagles' home Great Lakes Valley Conference opener on Saturday with scores of 12-7 and 6-3.

Freshman catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) went 4-for-7 from the plate with RBI, three runs scored and a home run on the afternoon.

Senior right-hander Austin Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) posted an eight-inning gem with eight strikeouts in the nightcap.

Game 1: USI 12, Lewis 7

The Flyers opened the afternoon with a five-run first frame and a solo home run by Connor Rutherford in the second to tag USI senior starter Austin Gossmann (Avon, Indiana). Despite the rough start, Gossmann went on to shut Lewis down in innings three through six to end the day with 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings-pitched, allowing five earned runs on nine hits.

The Eagles immediately began the comeback effort in the bottom of the second, scoring one run in each of the second, third and fourth innings, and two in the fifth. Senior first baseman Nathan Kuester (Rockport, Indiana) scored twice over the four-inning stretch. Junior rightfielder Manny Lopez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) punctuated the run with a two-RBI single.

The bottom of the seventh frame saw the Eagles take complete control. After senior right-hander Dalton Lewis (Parker, Colorado) came in to only one run in a bases-loaded jam, McNew sent his fourth home run of the season over the left field wall to knot the game up. 

USI would plate three more runs in the inning to hand Dalton Lewis his first victory of the season. Junior right-hander Jacob Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) relieved Lewis in a 10-7 game in the eighth to pick up a six-out save for his first of the season.

Game 2: USI 6, Lewis 3

Austin Krizan allowed just three runs on six hits through eight innings to keep the Lewis offense down in the second game of the day. The second-game starter never allowed more than one run in any inning to push his season record to 2-0.

McNew kept the train rolling from game one for the USI bats, sending a liner to right center to plate sophomore shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) for an RBI triple in the first frame. In the third, McNew returned to score sophomore centerfielder Bryce Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) with a sacrifice fly.

Bryce Krizan reappeared at the plate in fourth with the bases loaded to walk home junior leftfielder Aaron Euler (Evansville, Indiana). Senior second baseman Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana) added a run for USI in the fifth, scoring Lopez on a two-out single to left. Krizan returned in the sixth to score on a throwing error after stealing third.

After Austin Krizan put up a magnificent eight-inning gem, the Eagles called upon senior southpaw Paul Perez (Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) to shut the door on the Flyers. Perez sent the Lewis bats down in order, including two strikeouts, to end the evening for his third save of the season.

Up Next

The Eagles return to the USI Baseball Field on Sunday to close out the three-game conference series with Lewis University. First pitch is scheduled for noon.