April 04, 2009
USI sweeps all three from Lewis
Eagles have won seven in a row
Box Score Game 1: Southern Indiana 3, Lewis 1
Box Score Game 2: Southern Indiana 10, Lewis 3
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D.J.
Smith |
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team increased its winning streak to seven games with a doubleheader sweep of Lewis University Saturday afternoon in Romeoville, Illinois. USI won the first game, 3-1, and took the nightcap, 10-3.
The series sweep raises USI's record to 25-8 overall and 13-2 GLVC, while Lewis falls to 13-15, 2-9 GLVC.
In the opener, USI junior right-hander
D.J. Smith (Vincennes, Indiana) made three runs stand up to post his fourth win of the year. Smith (4-1) allowed four hits and one run over six innings of work, while striking out six.
Senior right-handed closer
Shaun Larsen (Tell City, Indiana) saved his 11th game of the season to finish out the victory. Larsen allowed one hit in his only inning, striking out two.
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Brad
Vance |
Offensively, the Eagles scored all of the runs they would need in game one in the first inning. Senior rightfielder
Chad Werry (New Harmony, Indiana) started the first inning rally with a RBI single, scoring junior shortstop
Wes Fink (Clarksville, Tennessee). The two-run rally concluded when junior third baseman
Tyler Choate (Carmi, Illinois) scored on an attempted double-steal with Werry to give USI a 2-0 lead.
The Flyers cut the lead in half with a tally in the bottom of the first to make the score, 2-1. The scoreboard would go unchanged until the top of the seventh when the Eagles got an insurance run on a RBI-fielder's choice by freshman second baseman
Brad Vance (Louisville, Kentucky) for the 3-1 final.
The Eagles' offense was back on display in the nightcap with a 10-3 victory. USI scored twice in the second, five times in the sixth, and three more in the seventh.
The second game offensive explosion was led by the three-RBI performances of Fink and Vance. Fink had a two-run single in the five-run sixth and walked in a run in the three-run seventh. Vance had a pair of RBI doubles, one in the second and one in the sixth, before singling in a tally in the seventh.
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Wes
Fink |
Over the two games at the plate, Werry led with a five-for-eight performance with four runs scored. Werry also had a great week, batting .481 (13-27) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, and eight RBIs.
On the mound in the nightcap, junior right-hander
Trevor Leach (Danville, Indiana) picked up his second win of the week and tied for the team lead with his sixth win of the year. Leach (6-0) relieved senior right-handed starter
Alex Thieroff (Greenfield, Indiana) in the fifth and pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings to get the win.
USI sophomore right-hander
Cody Brandenstein (Evansville, Indiana) pitched the final three innings to get his first save as an Eagle. Bradenstein allowed four hits and two runs, one earned, while striking out four in three innings.
The Eagles return to action at the USI Baseball Field next week when they host Bellarmine University Tuesday for 2 p.m. single non-conference contest.
Ray Simmons, USI Sports Information
