ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball upset Quincy University, 3-2, on the opening day of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Baseball Tournament Thursday afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles, the third seed from the GLVC Blue Division, go to 23-18 overall, while the Hawks, the second seed from the Green Division and ranked 23^rd nationally (NCBWA), end the contest 27-12.
 
USI picked up the early lead with a pair of runs in the opening frame. Junior centerfielder Bryce Krizan  and senior second baseman Kobe Stephens reached on a hit batter and a single to start the opening-inning rally before freshman third baseman Michael Conner knocked in both with a two-run double. The Eagles' 2-0 lead would not last long as the Hawks would knot the score up at 2-2 in the bottom of the first with two tallies of their own.
 
The score would stay deadlocked at 2-2 until the seventh when USI scored the eventual game-winning run in the 3-2 victory. Stephens singled through the right side with two outs, scoring freshman first baseman Adam Wildeman from second with the game-winning tally.
 
Wildeman had advanced to second on a one-out single and on a bunt single by senior catcher Wyatt Daly.
 
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Garrett Welch posted his team-best fifth win of the season with six-strong innings. Welch (5-3) was touched for two first-inning runs before blanking the Hawks over the next five frames. He allowed two runs on five hits and a walk overall, while striking out three in the six innings of work.
 
Senior right-hander Tyler Hagedorn pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning before senior right-hander Austin Gossmann made his first appearance of the season out of the bullpen to post his first USI career save by setting Hawks down in order in the ninth.  
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles continue the GLVC Tournament Friday at 4 p.m. when they play the winner of the Lindenwood University-Missouri University of Science & Technology game. Lindenwood, ranked 11^th (NCBWA)/17^th (ABCA) and the top-seed from the Blue Division, was 29-7 overall and 25-7 in the GLVC, while Missouri S&T, the fourth seed from the Green Division, was 21-19 overall and 17-15 in the GLVC. Live coverage for the Eagles in the post-season can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.
 
USI was 1-3 against Lindenwood during the regular season, while the Eagles did not play Missouri S&T this season.