EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The University of Southern Indiana baseball team split its midweek doubleheader with Bellarmine University on Tuesday, dropping the opener 13-4 before taking the second 11-6.

Senior first baseman Nathan Kuester (Rockport, Indiana) and sophomore centerfielder Bryce Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) led the bats on the day, each posting four RBI, going five-for-eight and three-for-seven, respectively, from the plate.

Senior second baseman Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana) crossed the plate four times in the doubleheader, after reaching base via four walks.

Game 1: BU 13, USI 4

Junior right-hander Tyler Hagedorn (Evansville, Indiana) took the mound for USI to open the doubleheader. The Eagles found themselves trailing 4-0 through the first four innings, after Bellarmine's Matt Higgins picked up a pair of RBI, including a solo home run just one out into the contest.

The USI bats worked their way back to a 4-4 tie with two runs in the fourth and sixth frames while freshman righty Sammy Barnett (Sellersburg, Indiana) cooled down the Knights' offense. Freshman leftfielder Bryson McNay (Sellersburg, Indiana) snatched two RBI and crossed the plate once in the four-run stretch.

Things unraveled for Barnett in the seventh as four runs crossed the plate. The Knights found three runs on a bases-clearing double from Chris Gambert. Bellarmine closed the game with nine unanswered runs.

Game 2: USI 11, BU 6

Junior right-hander Jacob Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) received his first start of the season and carried the Eagles for four shutout innings before allowing his first run in the fifth. 

USI took the opportunity to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the second game. Krizan got the ball rolling with a two-RBI single in the second. Kuester and sophomore shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) each walked home a run in the fourth.

The Knights crawled back into the game with a three-run homer in the sixth, to tie the game at 4-4. Bowles finished the inning before being relieved, and left the mound after allowing just six hits and collecting eight strikeouts.

Junior third baseman Kobe Stephens (Dale, Indiana) sent home Krizan in the bottom of the sixth with a single to left field. Stephens came around to score on an infield hit by Kuester.

Bellarmine knotted it up again at 6-6 in the seventh, this time with senior southpaw Paul Perez (Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) on the mound, though the runs scored were inherited from senior righty Dalton Lewis (Parker, Colorado), who came in and left without registering an out. 

Senior right-hander Austin Gossmann (Avon, Indiana) entered the game in the seventh with the bases loaded, tied at 6-6, and got the Eagles out of the jam. The bats rewarded Gossmann's effort with five insurance runs to finish the game. Krizan broke the tie with a sacrifice fly, then Hunter tacked on a two-RBI single to put the game out of reach.

Next Up

USI Baseball hits the road for Liberty, Missouri this weekend for its three-game stretch with William Jewell College. First pitch of the Saturday doubleheader is scheduled for noon.