Eagles fall again to Statesmen, 5-2

CLEVELAND, Miss. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball was doomed by a three-run third by Delta State University and fell 5-2 Saturday afternoon in Cleveland, Mississippi. The Screaming Eagles are 10-10 this spring, while Delta State is 16-7 in 2022.   
 
The Eagles, for the second game in a row, allowed the Statesmen to take a 1-0 lead before getting the offense rolling. USI scored its only two runs of the game and posted its only lead in the third inning when junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) and senior shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) combined to put the Eagles on the board.
 
Tachioka pushed USI’s first run across with a RBI-triple, scoring junior leftfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana), to tie the game, 1-1. Kahre had singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice.
 
Hunter followed with a RBI-single through the right side to score Tachioka and give USI its only lead, 2-1.
 
That 2-1 lead would be the highlights of the game for the Eagles as the Statesmen regained the lead in the bottom of the third with a three runs and seal the 5-2 win with a tally in the fifth.
 
Senior right-hander Brice Stuteville (Rockport, Indiana) took the loss for the Eagles, stumbling for the first time in 2022. Stuteville (3-1) allowed four runs, two earned, on four hits and two walks in 3.2 innings of work.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
 
USI conclude to the three-game series Sunday with a noon single game at Harvey Stadium at Ferriss Field.