University of Southern Indiana Baseball dropped the series finale with Missouri University of Science & Technology, 5-2, Monday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles move their record to 17-10 overall and 10-5 in the GLVC, while the Miners go to 18-8, 11-4 GLVC.

Missouri S&T got the early 1-0 lead with a run in the second before USI posted a two-spot in the third to take the 2-1 advantage. USI senior first baseman Nathan Kuester (Rockport, Indiana) knocked in the only Eagle runs of the day with a two-run two-out double down the left field line.

The Miners would get to Eagles senior left-handed starter Chase Partain (Evansville, Indiana) and junior right-hander Jacob Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) in the fifth, scoring four times to get the lead back, 5-2. Partain (3-3) would get the loss in the contest, allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits and five walks.

Bowles was effective in relief, giving up one run on six hits and striking out six batters in 4.1 innings of work.

Missouri S&T would hold onto the three-run, 5-2, lead for the final four frames as the Eagles stranded 11 runners on base in the game. USI had a chance to get the momentum back in the seventh, but left the bags jammed after loading the bases with one out.

Up Next for the Eagles: 
USI starts a five-game GLVC road trip Wednesday when the Eagles visit McKendree University for a noon doubleheader. The road trip moves to the University of Indianapolis April 6-7 when USI visits the Greyhounds for a three-game series.

The Eagles lead the all-time series with McKendree, 27-13, after sweeping the four-game series with the Bearcats last spring. USI also has won 10-straight versus McKendree and 13 of the last 14 matchups, including seven of eight in Lebanon, Illinois.

The all-time series between USI and UIndy leans toward the Eagles, 58-54.USI won the series last year, 4-2, by taking three of four during the regular season in Indianapolis and splitting a pair of games in the GLVC Tournament.

During the last three seasons, USI is 10-3 versus UIndy and holds a 6-2 advantage on the road.

After another historic week at the 2019 NCAA Men’s Championships last week, Indiana University men’s swimming and diving swept the yearly Big Ten Awards, the conference office announced on Monday.

IU head swimming coach Ray Looze was named Big Ten Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year, while Drew Johansen was named Big Ten Men’s Diving Coach of the Year. Vini Lanza was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, while Andrew Capobianco was named Big Ten Diver of the Year.

Both Looze and Johansen earned their respective honors for the second-straight season. The award for Looze gives him his fifth Big Ten Men’s Coach of the Year accolade and 10 total for his career including his five women’s coach of the year honors. Johansen earned his third career Big Ten Coach of the Year award.

Last week, the Hoosiers posted back-to-back top-3 finishes at the NCAA Championships for the first time in 44 years. Over the course of the week, Indiana won a total of four NCAA championships (400 Medley Relay, 100 Butterfly, 100 Breaststroke, 3-Meter Dive), matching the program’s total from 2018. The top-10 finish for the Hoosiers is the seventh in the last eight seasons.

For the fourth-straight season, Indiana finished as the top Big Ten team at the NCAA Championships – the best stretch for IU since accomplishing the feat for 15-straight seasons from 1964-78.

In February, Looze and Johansen helped guide the Hoosiers to a third-straight Big Ten Championship for the first time 34 years. The team title was the 27^th in program history.

For the week, IU won a total of 24 medals – 14 gold, seven silver and three bronze. Indiana also won four of the five relays at the Big Ten Championships for a second-straight year – a program first.

Lanza ended his illustrious Indiana career with a great showing at the NCAA Championships, winning two championships. Lanza won the 100 butterfly NCAA title for the first time in his career with a Big Ten and school record time of 44.37.

The senior was also a member of the gold-medal winning 400 medley relay team for IU, along with Gabriel Fantoni, Ian Finnerty and Zach Apple. The group win the NCAA crown with a Big Ten, school and pool record time of 2:59.70. Lanza also won silver in the 200 butterfly.

Over the course of the week at the NCAA Championships, the senior earned six All-America honors, giving him a staggering 21 for his career.

At the Big Ten Championships, Lanza made history by being named Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships for a third-straight year, becoming the first swimmer in league history to accomplish the feat. Lanza won titles in the 200 IM, 200 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay, along with two silver medals.

Capobianco won the program’s first NCAA Championship in the 3-meter dive in 38 years last week, taking the gold with a total score of 461.65. The performance gave Capobianco a fourth All-America honor for his career.

After an opening round dive of 83.30 to take the lead, Capobianco distanced himself from the field with a nearly perfect second-round dive. On his forward four-and-a-half somersault tuck, Capobianco scored an amazing 100.70. After the field tried to close in on the sophomore in the third and fourth rounds, Capobianco came through with two clutch final dives, posting scores of 71.75 and 88.40 to clinch the title.

At the Big Ten Championships, he earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors after winning silver in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Capobianco also took fourth overall at Big Ten’s in the platform dive.

The Screaming Eagles (21-13, 9-3 GLVC) won the opener, 2-0, before edging the Bulldogs, 4-3, in the nightcap.

Game 1
Despite being held to just three hits, USI was able to earn a 2-0 victory thanks to patience at the plate. USI hitters drew a season-high 10 walks, including four in the Eagles’ two-run sixth inning that broke a scoreless tie.

Following a lead-off single by sophomore outfielder Jessica Tucker (Georgetown, Kentucky) in the last half of the sixth inning, USI proceeded to draw walks in four of its next five at-bats. Leonhardt pushed across the first run of the game with a free pass, while junior outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) pushed across the second run on one of her three walks on the day.

Leonhardt (13-4) earned the win in the circle after scattering three hits and four walks throughout seven innings of shutout ball. She racked up 11 strikeouts as she finished her seventh complete-game shutout of the year (she has had two more combined shutouts) and her seventh shutout in her last eight starts.

Game 2
Senior outfielder/pitcher Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) had a two-run double in the first and Leonhardt had a two-run single in the second as the Eagles jumped out to a commanding 4-0 advantage in game two.

Truman State (16-9, 4-8 GLVC), however, scored a run in the top of the third inning and two more in the fifth inning to close the gap.

Bradley, however, entered the circle to get the Eagles out of a jam in the fifth and pitched a perfect sixth inning, while Leonhardt struck out two of the three batters she faced in the seventh to preserve the win and pick up her team-best third save of the year.

Senior pitcher Haley Smith (Florence, Kentucky) earned the win to improve to 3-1 on the year after scattering three runs off six hits in four-and-two-thirds-innings of work.