Eagles out battled by Governors, 10-6

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball was out battled by Austin Peay State University, 10-6, Tuesday evening at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles watch their record go to 5-7, while APSU goes to 3-9.
 
Following a three-run first by Austin Peay, USI rallied to take a 4-3 lead with one in the first and three more in the second. The 4-3 lead would be the only lead of the game for the Eagles.

USI senior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) scored USI’s first run on an RBI-single by senior first baseman Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) to cut the opening deficit to 3-1. Junior rightfielder Drew Taylor (Jeffersonville, Indiana), senior leftfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan), and junior second baseman Alex Archuleta (Evansville, Indiana) followed with three-straight extra base hits (triple, double, triple) to put the Eagles in front, 4-3, in the second.
 
Tachioka doubled in Taylor, who tripled to open the frame, with the second run, while Archuleta tripled in Tachioka to tie the score, 3-3. Archuleta would score the lead tally on a wild pitch for the brief 4-3 lead.
 
The Govs responded with six unanswered runs to regain the lead, 9-4, on three in the third and three in the seventh. USI cut the deficit to 9-6 on with two in the seventh on two-run base hit by freshman third baseman/shortstop Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana).
 
Austin Peay added one more tally to seal the game in the eighth and the 10-6 final.
 
On the mound, USI sophomore right-hander Adam Weihe (Louisville, Kentucky) took the loss for the Eagles. Weihe (0-2) allowed six runs, four earned, on nine hits, while striking out one in 2.1 innings of work.
 
USI junior lefthander Blake Ciuffetelli (Newburgh, Indiana) followed Weihe to the mound, going 4.1 innings of work and striking out a career-high seven batters.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI continues the four-game homestand Friday when it starts a three-game series with Oakland University at the USI Baseball Field. The series starts Friday at 6 p.m.; continues Saturday at 2 p.m.; and concludes Sunday with a noon first pitch.
 
The Golden Grizzlies start this week with a 2-8 record and are slated to play the University of Michigan Wednesday as they make their way to Evansville. Oakland is 2-3 in the last five games after dropping two-of-three with Wichita State University last weekend.
 
USI and Oakland are tied 1-1 in the series after splitting a doubleheader in 1977. In the twin bill, USI took the opening game, 8-3, but dropped the nightcap, 4-0.