EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Lewis' baseball team got off to great starts in both games of its doubleheader on Saturday but were unable to maintain it as they dropped both ends of the twin bill 12-7 and 6-3 at the USI Baseball Field in Evansville, Ind. The Flyers drop to 7-8 overall and 2-3 in GLVC play while the Screaming Eagles improve to 10-7, 3-2 GLVC.
"We got off to a great start in both games," Lewis head baseball coach
Tim McDonough said. "You have to give USI credit for taking our first punch and responding. We just didn't make plays when we needed to and couldn't get the big hit with runners on base when we had chances to get back into it.
"I'm really interested in seeing how this team responds tomorrow," he continued. "We haven't played our best baseball in awhile and I know this group has it in them."
Game 1 – Southern Indiana 12, Lewis 7
The Flyers scored five runs on four hits while sending nine guys to the plate in the top of the first.
Connor Rutherford (DePere, Wis./DePere),
Ryan Schefske (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) and
Anthony Rios (Lemont, Ill./St. Laurence) had three consecutive run scoring hits to make it 3-0. Rios scored later in the inning on an error and
Dalton Crowder (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield East) scored the fifth run on sacrifice to third.
Lewis added to its on Rutherford's second home run of the season in the second to make it 6-0. USI scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to cut the lead in half. It added two more in the fifth to make it a one-run ball game.
The Flyers extended their lead in the seventh as
Brandon Post (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) led off the inning with a walk and scored on
Anthony Cavalieri's (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) double to left center to make it 7-5.
The Screaming Eagles scored five runs on three hits and an error to take the lead and tacked on two more in the eighth for the final total.
Lewis was outhit in the contest 15-11 and was led by Schefske with four hits while Cavalieri, Rutherford and Rios had two hits each.
Ryan Ward (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates) suffered the loss allowing five runs, three earned with two walks and a strikeout in an inning of work.
Game 2 – Southern Indiana 6, Lewis 3
The Flyers jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first. Post led off the game with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error by the shortstop. USI got a run back in the home half of the first. With one out, Ethan Hunter was hit by a pitch and scored on Lucas McNew's triple to right center.
Lewis regained the lead in the third on Schefske's sacrifice fly to score Post. The Eagles came right back with a run in the third on McNew's sacrifice fly to center that scored Bryce Krizan.
USI took the lead with two runs in the fourth. Krizan drove in the go-ahead run with a bases loaded walk. Later in the inning Jacob Fleming scored on a fielder's choice.
The Flyers got a run back in the fifth on Rutherford's single to right center scoring Post. The Eagles tacked on insurance runs with one each in the fifth and sixth innings.
Lewis was outhit in game two 8-6 and was led by Post with four hits while Cavalieri and Rutherford with a hit apiece.
Blake Marks (Gardner, Ill./Gardner-South Wilmington) took the loss allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
The Flyers and Eagles conclude their three-game series tomorrow with a single nine-inning game beginning at 12 p.m.
