Eagles salvage series finale in slugfest

OZARK, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball salvaged the third game of the series with a 12-9 slugfest win over Drury University Sunday afternoon in Ozark, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles are 10-7 this spring, while Drury is 15-5 in 2022.   
 
The Eagles came out firing in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead on a three-run blast off the bat of junior second baseman Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana). The home run over the left field wall was McNew’s team-best fourth of the season.
 
Drury rallied to close within a run, 3-2, in the bottom of the fourth before USI freshman catcher Cordell Coburn (Evansville, Indiana) sent the ball over the left center fence for a 4-2 Eagle advantage. The Eagles maintained the two run lead until the fifth when junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) and senior shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) extended the margin to 6-2 with RBI-singles in the fourth.
 
USI’s lead grew to a game-best 8-2 in the sixth when Hunter drove in his second RBI of the game with a double and later scored on a fielding error when McNew reached base in his the third-straight at-bat.
 
After the Panthers cut the margin to 8-5 in the bottom of the sixth, USI got one of the runs back in the top of the seventh when junior leftfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) knocked in a run with his third hit of the day, a double to left. Drury, however, was not done, scoring three more in the bottom of the seventh to close the gap to 9-8.
 
USI regained the four-run lead, 12-8, with a three-run eighth, manufacturing the runs with the benefit of a wild pitch, a RBI-single by Coburn, and a RBI-fielder’s choice by junior third baseman Daniel Lopez (Dominican Republic). Drury rallied once more with a run in the bottom half of the inning to make the score, 12-9, and set the stage for the ninth.
 
The Panthers made one last run at the Eagles in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs, before freshman left-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) earned his first collegiate save by getting the final out.
 
At the plate, Hunter, Kahre, and Coburn had three hits each, while McNew finished with a game-high three RBIs.
 
The victory on the mound goes to senior right-hander Brice Stuteville (Rockport, Indiana). Stuteville (3-0) allowed five runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out five.