SPRINGFIELD. Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball dropped a second-straight doubleheader to #28(ABCA)/#18 (NCBWA) University of Illinois Springfield, 9-1 and 6-2, Sunday afternoon in Springfield, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles are 13-17 overall and 2-6 in the GLVC, while Illinois Springfield is 24-6 overall, 5-3 in the league.   
 
Game 1:
USI could not overcome a four-run first inning by Illinois Springfield and dropped the opening game Sunday, 9-1. The Stars scored four in the first, one in the fourth, and four more in the sixth before settling for the 9-1 win.
 
The Eagles scored its only run of the game in the seventh when junior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) crossed the plate on a Stars' error. USI was only able to muster three hits in Sunday's seven-inning contest.
 
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Parker Maddox (Columbus, Indiana) did not get out of the first and took the loss. Maddox (0-3) allowed three runs on two walks and a hit batter.
 
Game 2:
The Eagles tried to rebound in the nightcap to salvage a victory in the series, but came up short, 6-2.
 
USI junior catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) put the Eagles out in front, 1-0, with his sixth home run of the season. The Stars, however, responded with a pair of tallies in the bottom half of the frame to grab a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Eagles knotted the score at 2-2 in the third when McNew struck again with an RBI-single to score junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan). The score would remain tied at 2-2 until the sixth when the Stars regained the lead for good, 3-2, and sealed their win with a three-run seventh.
 
USI junior right-hander Garrett Welch (New Castle, Indiana) started and got the loss in the nightcap. Welch (1-3) threw 5.2 strong innings before giving way in the sixth, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. The junior also struck out six in the start.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles come home to the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field next week for a five-game series, beginning Wednesday when they host Oakland City University for a 6 p.m. single game.
 
USI leads the all-time series with the Mighty Oaks, 88-11, and have not hosted Oakland City since 2019. The Eagles have won seven-of-the-last-10 match-ups, including the 7-1 win in the 2019 campaign.
 
Oakland City, currently, is 20-16 and will complete a three-game series with Midway University and hosts Kentucky State University Tuesday before visiting the Eagles.
 
USI returns to GLVC action and concludes the homestand with a four-game set with Truman State University. The Eagles hold an 8-7 all-time series lead over the Bulldogs, winning three-of-the-last-four, including the last meeting, 20-1, in 2019.
 
Truman State is 13-20 this spring, 3-5 in the GLVC, and had a bye this weekend in the GLVC. The Bulldogs come to USI on a three-game losing streak and is 5-5 in the last 10 games.