(EVANSVILLE, Ind., April 9)—The McKendree University baseball team was defeated Tuesday evening at the University of Southern Indiana, 16-7.
The Bearcats ripped three home runs against the host Screaming Eagles while piling up 10 hits in the contest. McKendree is now 9-23 overall and 6-15 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Bearcats will return to Hypes Field to open up a conference series on Saturday with a doubleheader against the University of Illinois Springfield. First pitch is slated for noon.
Senior outfielder
Drew Reich (Charlestown, IN/Charlestown) and senior infielder
Drake Hampton (Godfrey, IL/Alton) hit back-to-back round-trippers in the second inning for McKendree, while senior infielder
Andrew Aydt (Wildwood, MO/Eureka) went deep for the Bearcats in the fourth inning. Aydt and Reich each scored a pair of runs in the contest, while Aydt matched senior infielder
Matt Klosterman (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) with two RBI in the effort.
Southern Indiana (21-12, 14-7 GLVC) jumped out in front with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the first inning. McKendree wasted little time in getting two of those runs back in the top of the second. Reich belted the third pitch of the frame over the left-center field fence for his seventh home run of the year to get the Bearcats on the scoreboard. Three pitches later, Hampton hit his third homer of the season to trim the deficit to 6-2.
After the Screaming Eagles added single runs in the second and third frames to extend their lead to 8-2, Aydt ripped a two-out home run over the right-center field fence to bring the Bearcats within five runs. McKendree's biggest outburst of the contest came in the top of the sixth inning when it plated four runs to close the gap to 13-7. Reich led off with a walk and came around to score on an RBI single off the bat of Aydt. The Bearcats then loaded the bases before senior
Matt DeLaVega (Lincolnwood, IL/Niles West) drew a walk to force home junior outfielder
Jordan Richardson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon).
Klosterman stepped in following a USI pitching change and hit the first pitch he saw into left-center field to drive home Aydt and senior outfielder
Corey Chambliss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) to cut the McKendree deficit to 13-7.