INDIANAPOLIS- On a chilly Saturday afternoon at Greyhound Park, the University of Indianapolis baseball team (12-10, 3-5 GLVC) fell three games behind division-leading Bellarmine by losing a pair of games to the Knights.  After the teams split Friday, BU took 3-of-4 from the Greyhounds with wins of 4-3 and 7-2 Saturday.

 

GAME 1 (7 inn.)

UIndy starter Greg Johnston found himself in an early jam as the Knights loaded the bases in the first before recording an out.  BU started the game with a walk, a single and a hit batsman and looked primed for a big inning.  After Johnston K'd the fourth batter, the Knights sneaked across a run on a high pop to deep short, but Johnston coaxed another pop fly to get out of the inning with just one run across.

 

UIndy took the lead with single runs in the second and third inning.  Meanwhile, Johnston cruised through four consecutive scoreless frames, striking out four straight at one point.

 

After hitting the first batter in the sixth, Johnston was relieved by Chris Saroff.  Saroff, who pitched a scoreless inning yesterday, retired one before surrendering a two-run, pinch-hit dinger from BU senior Shane Noble.

 

UIndy loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and catcher Seth Paul took one on the left arm to garner a game-tying RBI.  With one out and the bases still juiced, the Hounds muffed a suicide attempt as the Knights escaped with a double play.

 

Bellarmine (12-9, 6-2) led off the top of the seventh and final inning with a double.  After a sac bunt and a strikeout, a Greyhound error allowed the go-ahead and eventually game-winning run as the Hounds would not score in the bottom of the seventh.

 

Saroff struck out three through two innings but took the loss.  Offensively, the Hounds had as many hits as runs.  Justin Russell had one of the three hits and scored twice.

 

GAME 2 (9 inn.)

Russell continued to produce in the second game as he led off the bottom of the first with a double to the right-center gap.  The junior eventually scored on a successful squeeze bunt by Saroff.

 

The score remained 1-0 as Greyhound starter Andrew Werner tossed five shutout frames until the Knights finally got to him in the sixth.  Werner allowed two singles and two walks before being pulled in favor of Cory Rupert.  Rupert faced just two batters, getting a groundball and walking one while also throwing two wild pitches.

 

The inning would prove fatal for the Hounds as Bellarmine plated four runs, including one by stealing home, before David Early retired the first batter he faced for the final out of the BU sixth.  The Knights tacked on one more in the eight and two more in the ninth - all against Early - to go on to the 7-2 win.

 

BU starter Robbie Reeves scattered eight hits over nine innings while allowing just two runs in the complete-game effort.  Russell went 2-for-4 with a run scored as his first-inning double proved to be the only extra-base hit from the Hounds.  Dalan Dugger also went 2-for-4 while driving in a run.

 

UIndy hosts non-conference Saginaw Valley State this Tuesday.  First pitch in scheduled for 12 pm.