LEBANON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball started a five-game road swing with a doubleheader sweep of McKendree University, 9-7 and 7-0, Wednesday afternoon in Lebanon, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles move their record to 19-10 overall and 12-5 in the GLVC, while the Bearcats go to 9-19, 6-11 GLVC.   
 
Game 1:
USI junior right-hander Jacob Bowles (Mt. Washington, Indiana) stranded the tying runs at second and third to preserve a 9-7 USI victory in the opening game of the doubleheader.
 
The Eagles opened the scoring with a three-run outburst in the fourth, highlighted by the third home run of the season by senior first baseman Nathan Kuester (Rockport, Indiana), a two-run blast that put USI up, 2-0. McKendree cut into the USI margin with a tally in the fifth before junior rightfielder Manny Lopez (Santo Domingo, D.R.) drove the ball over the left field fence for a 4-1 lead in the sixth frame.
 
The Bearcats closed the gap again in the bottom of the sixth when they scored twice to make the score, 4-3. USI followed by sealing the game with a five-run top of the seventh to take a six-run, 9-3 advantage. Freshman catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) had the big hit in the frame with a two-run, single.
 
In the final two innings, the Eagles held off the Bearcats, who scored two in the eighth and ninth to make a game of it and before Bowles could shut the door. Bowles earned his second save of the season after getting the only batter he faced to foul out.
 
USI junior left-hander Paul Perez (Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) won his first start of the season and posted his second win as an Eagle. Perez allowed three runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out nine batters in six innings of work.
 
Following Perez to the mound was senior right-hander Dalton Lewis (Parker, Colorado), who allowed two runs on three hits and a walk, and junior right-hander Tyler Hagedorn (Evansville, Indiana), who also allowed a pair of runs on three hits.
 
At the plate, Lopez continued to be the big bat for the Eagles, going four-for-five with three runs scored, two RBIs, three doubles, and a home run. Junior third baseman Kobe Stephens (Dale, Indiana), sophomore leftfielder Aaron Euler (Evansville, Indiana), and McNew followed with two hits each, while Kuester and McNew tied Lopez with two RBIs each.
 
Game 2:  
USI freshman left-hander Sammy Barnett (Sellersburg, Indiana) recorded a complete game shutout in his first collegiate start and led the Eagles to a 7-0 win in the nightcap. Barnett scattered four hits and three walks, while striking out five in nine innings of work.
 
The Eagle bats provided all of the offense Barnett need with single run in the first inning and sealed the victory with single tallies in the sixth and seventh frames before completing the scoring with a four-run outburst in the ninth. Freshman third baseman Lucas McNew led the USI attack with a pair of RBIs for a team-best, while senior first baseman Nathan Kuester, junior rightfielder Manny Lopez, and junior catcher Wyatt Daly (Newburgh, Indiana) had two hits each.  
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI continues its five-game road swing Saturday and Sunday when it visits the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis. The Greyhounds are 17-11 overall and 10-7 in the GLVC after doubleheader split at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, today.
 
The all-time series between USI and UIndy leans toward the Eagles, 58-54.USI won the series last year, 4-2, by taking three of four during the regular season in Indianapolis and splitting a pair of games in the GLVC Tournament.
 
During the last three seasons, USI is 10-3 overall versus UIndy and holds a 6-2 advantage on the road versus the Greyhounds.