LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Greyhound baseball Head Coach
Gary Vaught picked up his 700th win at UIndy Saturday, as the Hounds split a twin bill at Bellarmine to finish the series an even 2-2.
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Vaught – in his 21st season with the Greyhounds – led UIndy (22-17, 18-10 GLVC) to a close 2-0 victory in the opener before the Knights (20-18, 14-14) came back to win the finale, 12-6.
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GAME ONE: UIndy 2, BU 0After a pair of narrow contests in Friday's doubleheader, Saturday's opener followed suit as the Greyhounds edged the Knights 2-0.
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UIndy's
Jake Sprinkle (6-1) threw a three-hit complete-game shutout on the mound, striking out four in the stellar outing.
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BU's Eddie Mathis (2-4) was matching Sprinkle frame for frame through six scoreless innings. But in the seventh the Greyhounds finally got on the board with a clutch two-RBI single from
Bryce Aldridge that brought in
Alex Ritchie.
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The 2-0 lead was all Sprinkle needed to close the game in the seventh. The freshman from nearby Franklin Central earned his sixth victory of the season, tied with
Matthew Kaplanis for most on the squad.
GAME TWO: BU 12, UIndy 6Twelve unanswered Bellarmine runs allowed the Knights to run away with the series finale, 12-6.
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The Hounds scored first, plating a run on
Colin Hawk's RBI single in the bottom of the first inning.
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In the third UIndy added four runs on three hits and an error to open up a 5-0 lead.
Sean McCracken first brought in
Zach Jacobs on a RBI single to left, and
Brady Thomas then scored on a wild pitch. The next batter, Hawk, continued to help his cause with a RBI triple to left, and
Alex Ritchie brought him home with a squeeze bunt.
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The Knights got a run back in the bottom of the frame, getting a RBI single from C Metcalfe, but did most of their damage between the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. They brought home a combined 11 runs on nine hits across the three frames, all but sealing the series-tying victory.
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UIndy scored on a RBI fielder's choice in the ninth from
Brady Thomas, but it wasn't enough to evoke a come-from-behind rally.
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Hawk finished 2-for-4 with two RBI at the dish and five innings pitched on the mound. Jacobs and McCracken each finished with multiple hits, and Thomas contributed two runs.
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Dylan Stutsman (0-1) was given the loss after throwing an inning in relief.
Adam Cornwell and
Scott Mitchell also saw action on the mound.
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After seven consecutive road games UIndy returns to Greyhound Park for a doubleheader against Notre Dame College Tuesday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET.
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