USI’s Archuleta gets No. 500, USI sweeps Bellarmine

University of Southern Indiana Head Coach Tracy Archuleta won his 500^th career game and the Screaming Eagles swept a doubleheader from Bellarmine University Friday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Eagles won the opener, 12-1, and took the nightcap, 4-0.

Archuleta reached the 500 win plateau in 14-plus season, collecting 148 win in six years at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and 352 wins in eight-plus season at the helm of the Eagles. The eight-plus seasons with USI has included a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships and two ABCA National Coach of the Year awards.

Following Friday’s action, USI saw its record go to 13-7 overall and 2-0 in the GLVC, while Bellarmine finished the day 8-10 overall, 0-2 GLVC. The game one victory also snapped the Eagles’ three-game losing streak.

In the opener, USI sophomore leftfielder Buddy Johnson (Shelbyville, Kentucky) drove in four runs and junior right-hander Colin Nowak (Carol Stream, Illinois) pitched eight strong innings as the Eagles posted a 12-1 victory.

Johnson broke the game open for the Eagles with back-to-back two-run doubles in USI’s half of the second and third innings. The sophomore finished the game with a team-high and a career-best three hits and four RBIs.

Nowak (2-1) won his second game of the year by allowing one run on five hits and striking out three in eight innings of work. Senior right-hander Ben Blaize (Henderson, Kentucky) pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the 12-1 victory.

The nightcap was scoreless until the Eagles exploded for all of their runs in the fifth inning and recorded a 4-0 victory to complete the doubleheader sweep. Senior rightfielder Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana) capped off the four-run, fifth-inning rally with a two-run single with one out in the frame.

On the mound, junior right-hander Lucas Barnett (Sellersburg, Indiana) recorded his second complete-game shutout of the season in winning his team-best fourth game of the year. Barnett (4-1) scattered three hits and struck out eight in the seven-inning contest.

The Eagles and the Knights finish the four-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. USI hits the road for a single non-conference game versus the 18^th-ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis Wednesday at 2 p.m. in St. Louis, Missouri.