EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball tried to put together a second-straight comeback against Eastern Michigan University, but fell short, 7-4, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 1-5 to start the season, while EMU is 2-4.
After allowing two in the second and three in the third to fall behind, 5-0, USI started to chip away with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. The Eagles loaded the bases with no outs in the third before freshman rightfielder
Ethan Rothschild (Evansville, Indiana) scored on a ground out by junior third baseman
Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela) to get the first USI tally of the game.
USI sophomore shortstop
Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) crossed the plate to make the score 5-2 on a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman
Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri). The EMU Eagles, however, responded in the top of the fourth with their sixth tally of the contest to get the margin back to 6-2.
The Screaming Eagles would close the deficit to three runs, 6-3, when Niehaus scored for the second time in the game on a ground out by freshman leftfielder
Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky). EMU would respond once again with a matching tally to push the margin back to four, 7-3, in the eighth.
USI would valiantly try to make one more run at EMU in the bottom of the ninth with two outs when Van Grieken and Boyd walked. Van Grieken cut the deficit to 7-4 when he scored on a single by junior first baseman
Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri) before EMU shut the door on the game.
USI junior right-hander
Carson Seeman (Jeffersonville, Indiana) started and took the loss. Seeman (0-1) allowed five runs on eight hits in three innings, while striking out two.
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI concludes the three-game series with EMU Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch. Sunday is Family Day at USI Baseball Field with kids 12-and-under allowed to run the bases after the game.
Following USI's series finale on Sunday, the Eagles resume the homestand with a 2 p.m. game versus Ball State University February 27. The homestand concludes March 1-3 when a three-game set versus the University of St. Thomas.
