USI Baseball doubles up Southeast Missouri, thanks to 4 homers

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. (WFIE) - University of Southern Indiana Baseball outslugged Southeast Missouri State University 4-3 in home runs and won the game, 12-6, Saturday afternoon in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. USI is 15-20 overall and 5-6 in the OVC, while SEMO goes to 17-18, 7-4 OVC.

The Screaming Eagles snapped a 13-inning scoreless streak with a pair of runs in the second inning on a two-blast by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana). The home run drove in senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas), who had singled to lead off the frame, and was Ellis’ team-high seventh of the year.

The two-run second would start a streak of four-straight scoring innings for the Eagles.

USI would lead 2-0 until the Eagles increased the lead to 3-0 in the third when junior center-fielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) singled in junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela). The Redhawks would bounce back to get their first run of the game with a tally in the bottom half of the frame to leave the score 3-1 after three.

USI senior right-fielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) put USI on the scoreboard for the third-straight frame when he launched a rocket over the right field wall for a 4-1 Eagle advantage. The home run was Tachioka’s first of the season.

The Eagles sealed the victory in the top of the fifth with a five-run frame. Junior leftfielder Adam Euler (Evansville, Indiana) and Van Grieken got the rally going with RBI-singles to center, before sophomore shortstop Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) hit USI’s third home run of the game, a three-run blast for the 9-1 advantage. Niehaus’ home run was his second of the spring.

Following a pair of home runs by the Redhawks in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap to 9-3, Euler boosted the Eagles advantage to 10-3 with a RBI-single to right center. The score remained 10-3 until the bottom of the eighth when SEMO put three runs across the plate to get to 10-6.

USI put a stop to the SEMO comeback attempt when Niehaus hit his second home run of the game and his third of the year, a two-run blast, to make the score 12-6. Niehaus finished the game three-for-six with two home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored.

On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) started and picked up the win for the Eagles. Seebold (4-2) posted his team-high fourth win of the season, going five innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. The right-hander also struck out a career-high seven batters.

Up Next for the Eagles: The Eagles and the Redhawks conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m.

Following Sunday’s series and USI four-game road swing finales, the Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field for a five-game homestand. The homestand starts Tuesday at 6 p.m. with a non-conference visit from Western Kentucky University; follows April 19-20 with a three-game OVC series versus the University of Tennessee at Martin; and concludes April 23 with a non-conference contest with Belmont University.