(LEBANON, Ill., April 3)—The McKendree University baseball team was defeated in a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference games Wednesday at home by the University of Southern Indiana. The Bearcats were edged 9-7 in the opener before the Screaming Eagles pulled away late in game two to close out the sweep, 7-0.
 
McKendree is now 9-19 on the year and 6-11 against GLVC competition. The Bearcats will step back into conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Maryville University. McKendree and Maryville are slated to play a doubleheader Saturday in St. Louis followed by a nine-inning game on Sunday. Both contests will have a noon first pitch.
 
In game one, McKendree trailed 9-3 heading into the eighth inning, but scored two runs in each of its final two at-bats to pull within a pair of runs. The Bearcats put the potential tying runs on base in the bottom of the ninth, but USI was able to wiggle out of the jam to escape with the game one win. Freshman Hayden Schaefer (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) had three hits, two runs scored and a pair of RBI in the opener, while junior infielder Bryce Emery (Harrisburg, IL/Harrisburg) also collected three hits in the contest. Senior infielder Adam Cox (Louisville, IL/North Clay) drove in two runs, and senior infielder Matt Klosterman (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) chipped in with three hits on the day against Southern Indiana.
 
Game one was scoreless until the fourth inning, when Southern Indiana (19-10, 12-5 GLVC) plated three runs to grab a 3-0 advantage. McKendree broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning, when senior outfielder Drew Reich (Charlestown, IN/Charlestown) led off the frame with his sixth home run of the season to bring the Bearcats within 3-1. USI got the run back in the top of the sixth to build a 4-1 cushion before McKendree countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Schaefer led off with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch. Schaefer scored thanks to an RBI single off the bat of senior infielder Drake Hampton (Godfrey, IL/Alton). Emery later ripped a two-out, run-scoring double to left-center field to bring home Hampton to get the Bearcats within 4-3.
 
Southern Indiana appeared to have put the game out of reach with a five-run seventh inning to stretch the margin to 9-3. In the bottom of the eighth, Cox came to the plate and belted a two-out, two-run triple to right-center field to start the Bearcats' comeback, getting McKendree within 9-5.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Klosterman opened with a single to left. Five pitches later, Schaefer blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence to slash the Bearcats' deficit to 9-7. Reich was later hit by a pitch which was followed by a double from Emery to put runners at second and third. Southern Indiana's Jacob Bowles then came on in relief to notch the final out to thwart the McKendree rally attempt.
 
In game two, Southern Indiana scored unearned runs in the first, sixth and seventh innings to scratch out a 3-0 lead. The Screaming Eagles then tallied four runs in their final at-bat in the ninth inning to account for the final margin. USI left-hander Sammy Barnett went the distance to pick up the win, giving up four hits with five strikeouts.
 
McKendree freshman right-hander Ryan Vogt (Ava, IL/Trico) pitched well in defeat, allowed two unearned runs on just two hits with seven strikeouts over the first 5 2/3 innings of work.