INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis baseball team closed out the opening weekend of GLVC play on Sunday, splitting a pair of contests against St. Joseph's College.
 
In the opener, the Pumas rallied from down two late to tie the game and eventually win 4-3 in extra innings. UIndy rebounded in game two, getting a pair of two-run blasts from Joe Trennepohl and Anthony Asalon in support of Michael Schalasky, who went the distance in a 6-4 Greyhound victory.
 
Asalon had four hits and scored three times to lead the Greyhounds. Kyle Orloff recorded a trio of hits on the day, giving him at least one base knock in 13 of his last 14 games.
 
GAME ONE: St. Joseph's 4 – Uindy 3 (8 inn.)
 
The Greyhounds caught a break in their first trip to the dish, scoring an unearned run when Orloff's two out chopper to short skipped past the Puma fielder, allowing Asalon to score the game's first run.
 
St. Joseph's evened the game up in the third on a Josh Handzik RBI single but the Hounds took the lead right back in the bottom of the inning on an Orloff RBI double to deep center field. UIndy stretched the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Colin Hawk roped a double into the left field corner that scored Asalon from first.
 
Down to their last out in the sixth, the Pumas rallied to tie the game at three thanks to Ryan Keck's two-run double off Jeff Lavin. Bidding for their third walk-off win of the year, the Greyhounds put two runners on in both the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't find a way to bring in the go-ahead run.
 
The Pumas made the Hounds pay in the top of the eighth, scoring an unearned run with two outs in the inning. UIndy loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the inning, but would leave the bags full after back-to-back fly outs to end the game.
 
Connor Mailloux allowed one run on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in five innings of work. Adam Cornwell (2-1) was charged with the loss after surrendering the winning unearned run.
 
GAME TWO: UIndy 6 – St. Joseph's 4
 
St. Joseph's took the lead in the top of the third, taking advantage of a wild inning from Schalasky. After a pair of singles and a hit by pitch opened the inning, Brendan Rivera drew a bases loaded walk to plate the first run of the game and keep the pressure on the Hounds' freshman hurler.
 
Schalasky kept the game from getting out of hand, retiring the next three batters to swing momentum in the Greyhounds' favor and keep it a 1-0 game. That began a stretch that saw Schalasky set down 12 straight Puma hitters.
 
UIndy got back to even with two outs in the bottom of the inning when Rivera dropped what would have been the third out, allowing Macy Holdsworth to score. Orloff put the Hounds on top one batter later with an RBI single, his second of the day.
 
The Hounds broke the game open one inning later, starting with Trennepohl's second home run of the year that made it 4-1 UIndy. Four batters later, Asalon launched a no-doubter that sailed way over the left field wall for his fourth of the year and a commanding 6-1 Greyhound lead.
The Pumas took advantage of three Greyhound errors in the top of the seventh to chop the deficit down to two, but came no closer as Schalasky held in to finish off his first complete game with a strikeout.
 
Schalasky improved to 2-1 on the year after giving up just the one earned run on six hits with a pair of walks and a season high nine punch outs.
 
The Greyhounds resume conference play next weekend, opening up a four-game set with Lewis on Saturday, Apr. 2 at noon.