Eagles drop chilly slugfest with Maryville

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost a 14-9 slugfest to Maryville University on a chilly Wednesday evening at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles are 10-8 this spring, while Maryville is 9-9 in 2022.   
 
After spotting the Saints a 2-0 lead in the first, the Eagles score five unanswered in the bottom of the first and second to take a 5-0 lead. Junior second baseman Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) put USI on the board in the first with a RBI-single, scoring junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan), who had walked and stole second to get into scoring position.
 
USI took the lead with a four-run second inning, highlighted by a two-run single by freshman catcher Cordell Coburn (Evansville, Indiana). Senior shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) also knocked in a run with walk, while McNew got his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly.
 
The USI lead would be short lived as the Saints rallied with three runs in the top of the third to knot the game up, 5-5. Maryville would go on to add five more runs (two in the fourth and three in the fifth) to grab a 10-5 lead.
 
USI rallied back in the bottom of the fifth to pull to within one, 10-9. Sophomore centerfielder Steven Molinet (Elberfeld, Indiana) started the scoring by crossing the plate on an error before Tachioka tripled to right to push across two more. Tachioka got the Eagles to 10-9 by scoring on a bunt single by Hunter.
 
The 10-9 deficit would be as close as the Eagles would come in the final four innings. Maryville sealed the victory with a tally in the seventh and three in the eighth for the 14-9 final.