Box score

EVANSVILLE, Ind.- The UIndy baseball team opened the 2010 NCAA Midwest Regional with a 9-6 loss to top-seeded Southern Indiana Thursday night.  The Greyhounds out-hit the 12th-ranked Screaming Eagles, but three unearned runs from the home team in the first ultimately proved to be the difference.

After starting the game with a productive, three-run first inning that featured RBIs from Chase Kittinger, Aryn Ross and Danny Collier, the Greyhounds gave the runs right back with a poor defensive effort in the bottom of the first.  Aided by three UIndy fielding errors, USI scored three unearned tallies to knot it at three apiece after one.

The Eagles (44-12) continued to put the pressure on with three more runs in the second.  Rupert retired the first two batters of the inning, but USI parlayed four singles and two walks into three two-out scores.

Despite the early runs, Rupert was able to settle in and keep the game within reach.  With a 7-3 lead, USI threatened in the sixth, getting its leadoff man, Wandy Rosario, on third base with just one out.  Rupert maintain his poise, however, as the all-conference hurler struck out the next batter before making a fine fielding play by cutting Rosario down at the plate on a Screaming Eagle bunt.

UIndy chipped away at the USI lead in the top of the seventh, starting with back-to-back singles from Kaleb Cunningham and Adam Akin.  Later, Scott Mourey mustered an RBI groundout to score the first UIndy run since the initial inning.

Kittinger kept the rally going with a base hit to right to score Akin, and after Ross took a fastball to the shoulder blade, USI head coach Tracy Archuleta went to his bullpen.

USI starter Trevor Leach didn't have his best command working Thursday night, but the all-region first team selection left with a chance for the win after giving up five runs on 10 hits and one walk in his six and one-third innings of work.

Archuleta went to Dan Maracci, the winner in last week's match-up between these two teams at the conference tournament.  In his first relief appearance of the season, Maracci stifled the rally by garnering a strikeout and a fly ball to end the inning.

Like his counterpart, Rupert ran into trouble in the seventh before getting pulled.  The Eagles answered the Hounds' two seventh-inning runs with two of their own, pushing the lead back to four.  Back-to-back two-out doubles spelled the end for Rupert, who finished his night with nine runs allowed – six earned – to go with 11 hits, six Ks and three walks.

A double from Chris Ulrey, a groundout and a passed ball led to a single tally for the Greyhounds in the eighth, but that proved be the end of the scoring for the visitors.  After reliever Chris Saroff struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth, the Hounds came up empty in their last at bat, ensuring a move to the tourney's losing bracket.

UIndy (34-21) will play Ashland in a loser-go-home game tomorrow at noon Eastern.  USI moves on to face Wayne State at 4 p.m. EDT.  A live audio broadcast will be available here.