The University of Southern Indiana baseball team scored 13 times on 10 hits in cruising to a 13-2 victory over Oakland City University Wednesday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI saw its record go to 23-14 overall, while Oakland City watched its record fall to 19-21 in 2016.
The Screaming Eagles took control early by building a 3-0 lead after three innings before breaking the game open with an eight-run fourth innings. USI would add an insurance tally in fifth and eighth, finishing with the 13-2 victory.
Sophomore leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) led the offensive attack with three RBIs, while senior shortstop Kyle Niemeier (Evansville, Indiana), senior rightfielder Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana), and senior catcher Ryan Bertram (Zionsville, Indiana) had two RBIs each. Niemeier extended his team-best hitting streak to 13-games with a three-hit performance.
Kempf had two doubles in the victory and is now three short of Mike Peerman’s (1997-2007) USI career-record of 270 hits.
On the mound, senior right-hander Alex Holder (Princeton, Indiana) got back on track with his third win of the year. Holder (3-4) went five innings, scattering four hits and striking out four.
The Eagles continue the 10-game homestand with a four-game set with Lewis University Saturday and Sunday at the USI Baseball Field. The first pitch is set for 2 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
USI leads the all-time series with Lewis, 57-54, after losing three of four to the Flyers in Romeoville, Illinois, during 2015. The Eagles have won nine of the last 12 games with the Flyers at the USI Baseball Field.
The Flyers started this week’s action with a 20-14 overall mark splitting a doubleheader with Quincy University this afternoon in Romeoville, Illinois. Lewis, currently, is in fourth in the GLVC East Division with a 9-7 GLVC record after splitting five of its last eight GLVC games.
