The University of Southern Indiana baseball team split the second half of a four-game series with Bellarmine University Sunday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky. The Knights took the opening game, 7-6, while the Screaming Eagles snagged the nightcap, 13-8.
USI watched its record go to 18-16 overall and 9-7 in the GLVC, while Bellarmine goes to 29-11, 12-4 GLVC.
Game 1:Â
The Screaming Eagles could not hold onto a five-run lead and lost the opener, 7-6. USI had built a 6-1 lead through five-and-a-half innings on three in the second, one in the third, fourth, and sixth before Bellarmine scored six in the bottom of the sixth for the winning margin.
The Eagles got out in front in the second inning with a three-run frame. Junior designated hitter Brodie Brown (Carmi, Illinois) started off the scoring with a RBI-singles, followed by a RBI-double by senior third baseman Sam Griggs (Evansville, Indiana). Griggs, who made his first start since suffering a knee injury on March 26, led the Eagle bats with a pair of hits and two RBIs.
Sophomore centerfielder Bryce Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) finished the second-inning scoring with a run scoring single to make the score, 3-0.
Griggs extended the USI lead to 4-0 with single in the third, while senior first baseman Nick Gobert(Jasper, Indiana) pushed the Eagles’ lead back to four, 5-1, with a RBI-sac in the fourth after Bellarmine had narrowed the gap to 4-1 with a tally in the bottom of the third. Senior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) finished up the offense for the Eagles with a RBI-single in the sixth for the Eagles’ largest margin of the game, 6-1.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Jacob Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) took the loss in relief.  Bowles (1-1) allowed a walk and a run after coming for sophomore right-hander Tyler Hagedorn(Evansville, Indiana).
Hagedorn had entered the game in the sixth in relief of senior right-handed starter Devin Williams(Evansville, Indiana). Hagedorn did not retire a batter and allowed three runs on a hit and a walk.
Williams picked up the no-decision after giving three runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out four in 5.1 innings of work.
Game 2:Â
USI senior third baseman/pitcher Nick Gobert drove in six runs and picked up a save in leading the Eagles to a 13-8 victory in the nightcap. Gobert was three-for-four with a triple and six RBIs at the plate and got the save by limiting the Knights to three runs, one earned, over four innings of work.
The Eagles jumped out in front for the fourth-straight game with a two-run fourth before the Knights bounce back with four tallies in the bottom half of the frame. USI rebounded with a five-run fifth to take the lead for good.
After the Knights closed the gap to 7-5 with run in the bottom of the fifth, USI sealed the victory with one in the sixth and another five-run eighth to seal the 13-8 victory. Gobert highlighted the five-run eighth with a three-run triple.
On the mound, freshman right-hander Blake Graham (Morgantown, Kentucky) posted his first win as an Eagle in relief of junior left-hander Chase Partain (Evansville, Indiana). Graham allowed one run on one hit in 1.1 innings of work. Partain went the first 3.2 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits.
The Next Game:
The Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field Tuesday when they host Kentucky Wesleyan College for a 6 p.m. match-up. USI leads the all-time series with KWC Panthers, 97-64, sweeping a home-and-home series last spring, 2-0 at USI and 7-0 in Owensboro, Kentucky. Outfielder Jaylen Quarles led the way for the Eagles with an .833 average (five-of-six), while junior second baseman Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana) batted .429 (three-of-seven).
