The University of Southern Indiana baseball team completed the five-game road swing with a 7-3 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan College Tuesday afternoon in Owensboro, Kentucky. USI watched its record go to 25-16 overall, while KWC goes to 20-21 this spring.
The Screaming Eagles’ offense got going in the opening frame when senior shortstop Sam Griggs (Evansville, Indiana) hit a two-blast to put USI up 2-0. The home run was Griggs’ second of the year.
Junior righfielder Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) increased the Eagles lead to 3-0 in the third with an RBI-single. Gobert would drive in his second run of the game in the fifth with a sacrifice fly, re-extending the USI lead to two runs, 4-2, after the Panther had cut the Eagles margin to 3-2 with a pair of tallies in the bottom of the third.
After KWC pulled to within one run, 4-3, for a second time with a run in the bottom of the fifth, the Eagles sealed the victory with a three-run outburst in the top of the sixth. Junior first baseman Nathan Kuester(Rockport, Indiana) got the rally started by scoring on a passed ball before junior third baseman Angel Torres (Puerto Rico) added the sixth run with a RBI-double and senior designated hitter Jaylen Quarles(Indianapolis, Indiana) concluding the scoring with an RBI-single for eventual 7-3 final.
Overall at the plate, USI was led sophomore second baseman Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana), who had three hits and scored three times in the win. Griggs and Gobert, both, finished the game with a team-high two RBIs each.
USI sophomore left-hander Chase Partain (Evansville, Indiana) picked up his first win of the season on the bump. Partain (1-2) allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and one walk in eight innings of work. He also tied a season-high by striking out four batters.
The Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field Saturday and Sunday when they host the University of Indianapolis for a four-game series. The USI-UIndy doubleheader on Sunday is Senior Day for the Eagles.
