The University of Southern Indiana baseball team could not hold onto a ninth-inning lead and fell to Young Harris College, 9-7, Wednesday afternoon in the Perfect Game Spring Swing in Emerson, Georgia. USI falls to 3-6 on the season, while Young Harris goes to 5-11.
Young Harris had the early lead, building a 4-1 lead after three innings and 6-2 after five, when USI mounted a comeback. The Eagles scored five unanswered runs with two in the seventh and three in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead into the top of the ninth.
The Mountain Lions matched the Eagles rally in the top half of the ninth, scoring three times to re-take the lead, 9-7. USI tried to rally once again in the bottom half of the final framw, but left the tying runs on base in the loss.
On the mound, senior right-hander Justin Watts (Bryan, Ohio) took the loss in relief for the Eagles, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks in the ninth. Watts (0-1) was the fifth of five USI hurlers in the loss, including freshman starting right-hander Griffin Quarles (Evansville, Indiana), who got the no decision after allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks in three innings of work.
At the plate, freshman leftfielder Spenser Deom (Tell City, Indiana) led the Eagles with a pair of hits, three RBIs, a run scored, and a home run. The home run was Deom’s first as an Eagle.
Deom was followed by sophomore shortstop Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana) and senior rightfielder Cody Montgomery with two hits and one RBI each.
The Eagles come back to the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field Thursday and Friday for a three-game non-conference series with Drury University. Game time for Thursday’s single game is 5 p.m. and for Friday’s the doubleheader is 1 p.m.
