(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., April 21)—The McKendree University baseball team battled the University of Indianapolis down to the finish in both ends of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon, but the host Greyhounds were able to slip past the Bearcats to record a sweep. UIndy collected a walk-off win in game one, 11-7, before posting some late insurance runs to collect an 11-7 decision in the nightcap.
 
McKendree, now 6-29 on the year and 1-12 against GLVC foes, will close out their four-game weekend series against Indianapolis on Sunday, with first pitch for the doubleheader scheduled for noon ET.
 
In Saturday's games, McKendree held a 16-11 edge in hits against Indianapolis. Junior outfielders Corey Chambliss and Drew Reich each had three hits at UIndy. Chambliss, senior Collin Holton and freshman catcher Connor McCormick each hit two-run home runs against the Greyhounds.
 
The Bearcats drew first blood in game one when junior infielder Luke Johnson reached on a one-out walk in the top of the third inning and Chambliss followed with a two-run homer down the left field line. Indianapolis (23-14, 5-9 GLVC) answered with two runs in the sixth inning to knot the score at 2-2, then plated a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to grab a 3-2 advantage.
 
In the top of the ninth inning, junior first baseman Andrew Aydt led off with a double. Junior outfielder Austin Werner came on as a pinch-runner and moved to third on a groundout. Freshman catcher Austin Francis stepped in next and ripped an RBI single to left field to bring home Werner with the tying run to help the Bearcats pull even at 3-3. However, the Greyhounds responded with a run in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with the victory in the opener.
 
Freshman left-hander Jack Strieker turned in a quality start in game one for McKendree. Strieker gave up just one hit and two earned runs over six innings with three strikeouts.
 
Indianapolis scored in each of its six at-bats in game two, building a 4-0 cushion after three innings before the Bearcats dented the scoreboard. Johnson walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch for the first run of the contest for McKendree before Aydt lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 4-2. After the Greyhounds plated a run in the bottom of the fourth to stretch the margin back to 5-2, the Bearcats scored three times in the top of the fifth to pull even at 5-5. Holton blasted a two-run homer to left field to trim the deficit to a single run before Chambliss scored the tying run when senior outfielder Grant Anderson bounced into a fielder's choice.
 
A three-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth gave UIndy an 8-5 lead when McKendree made one final run at the Greyhounds. Werner led off with an infield single before McCormick hit his two-run homer to left field to get the Bearcats within 8-7. That was as close as McKendree would get the rest of the way as UIndy tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the frame to account for the final margin.