EVANSVILLE, Ind. – SIUE baseball split a doubleheader at Southern Indiana Friday, taking the opener 9-7 before falling in the nightcap 7-6. The Cougars won two of three to take their third OVC series of the year.
The Cougars moved to 8-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 16-15 overall. The 8-0 start to OVC play was the best start ever to an OVC season for the Cougars. The game two loss snapped a season-long five-game winning streak for SIUE.
USI moved to 4-5 in the OVC and 19-13 overall.
In game one, the Cougars capitalized on a pair of mistakes to take the lead in the second inning. With Brenden Fry at third and Sean Kang at second, a wild pitch allowed Fry to score from third. On the throw to the plate, the ball got away, allowing Kang to score.
The Cougars opened it up in the fourth inning, scoring four times on four hits. Ryan Niedzwiedz singled in a run with one out and Mack Mitchell followed with a double to drive home another to chase USI starter Ryan Weller (2-2).
Joshua Heyder greeted reliever Tyler Welch with a two-run single to left field for a 6-0 Cougar advantage.
Southern Indiana cut the lead in half with three runs on four hits and an error in the bottom of the fourth.
Both teams scored a run in the sixth inning. Fry tripled to start the top of the inning and scored on an RBI single by Daniel Gierer. The Screaming Eagles scored a run thanks to four hits in the bottom of the inning.
Spencer Stearns (4-2) allowed four runs on 10 hits over six innings in the start. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Porter Conn relieved Stearns in the seventh and the Screaming Eagles loaded the bases with two outs before Conn struck out Jesse Velders to strand the bases loaded. Conn started the eighth and surrendered a hit and a walk before leaving in favor of Brennen Grams, who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Noah Foster scampered home on a wild pitch to trim the SIUE lead back to 7-5.
Easton Harris finished the eighth inning with a groundout, and USI stranded the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning.
The Cougars tacked on two more in the ninth inning. Heyder opened the inning with a single to left and the Gage Franck pinch ran for him. After an Ethan Willoughby double, Franck scored on a wild pitch. Kang singled home a second run with two outs in the inning.
Heyder finished the game with three hits for SIUE.
In game two, the Cougars went down early when USI scored two runs in the second inning against SIUE starter Jase Phillips.
SIUE answered in the third inning. Kang opened the inning with a triple off the wall in left center and scored on a sacrifice flies from Kannon Kamp. Gierer reached on an error and later scored on a SAC fly by Chase Bloomer.
USI regained the lead with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth.
The Cougars quickly tied the score in the top of the fifth. Niedzwiedz, Mitchell and Eggert each had RBI hits in the inning.
Wall broke the tie for Southern Indiana in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a two-run home run.
Noah Johnson (0-3) allowed the home run and suffered the loss in relief. He followed Jase Phillips who matched his season high with six innings pitched.
Mitchell and Kang had two hits apiece for the Cougars.
The Cougars loaded the bases in the ninth inning, and managed a run on a wild pitch, but couldn't score again, leaving the bases loaded.
