INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis baseball team opened up their final series of the regular season on Friday afternoon, welcoming GLVC East leading Southern Indiana to Greyhound Park for a pair of league contests.
 
The Screaming Eagles wrapped up the East Division title, sweeping the Greyhounds by scores of 7-3 and 3-1. UIndy (31-17, 16-10 GLVC) got four hits from Brady Thomas and another pair from Devon Hensley and Kyle Orloff, but were unable to rally late in each game against Southern Indiana (32-16, 19-7 GLVC).
 
GAME ONE: Southern Indiana 7 – Uindy 3
 
Both lineups stayed silent through two innings before trouble struck for the Greyhounds in the third after a lead off UIndy error led to three Screaming Eagle runs, all of which were unearned. USI went on to add runs in the fourth and fifth innings and led 5-0 through five-and-a-half innings.
 
The Greyhounds broke through in the sixth, getting a pair of runs home on sac flies from Colin Hawk and Storm Joop. UIndy loaded the bases with nobody out before Hawk and Joop brought Devon Hensley and Anthony Asalon in on consecutive at-bats to cut the lead to 5-2.
 
It was as close as the Hounds would come to tying things up as the Eagles tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Alex Ritchie capped the scoring for the Greyhounds in the bottom of the eighth with a sac fly of his own that scored Hensley.
 
USI handed Matthew Kaplanis (8-1) his first loss of the year after the senior logged five innings of work, giving up two earned runs on seven hits with one walk and a pair of strikeouts. Colin Nowak earned the win for the Eagles after scattering six hits and striking out nine over eight innings.
 
GAME TWO: Southern Indiana 3 – UIndy 1
  
UIndy's Jake Shaw and USI's Lucas Barnett were dominant out of the gate. Shaw set down the minimum through four innings while Barnett gave up just one hit through the first three frames.
 
The Greyhounds would get the ice breaker in the bottom of the fourth, taking their first lead of the day on an RBI single from Orloff that brought Joop in from second. Shaw ran into trouble in the fifth, hitting the lead off hitter before giving up a double to put runners in scoring position with no outs. After getting one USI runner out at home, Shaw uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Drake McNamara to score and tie the game.
 
Shaw set down the first two batters in the sixth before Kyle Kempf dealt the Hounds a crushing blow, belting a solo home run to put USI in front. The Screaming Eagles added another run in the seventh to pad their lead, but the Hounds put together one last threat in the seventh.
 
Macy Holdsworth and Hensley reached, bringing UIndy's leading home run hitter Anthony Asalon to the dish as the potential winning run. Asalon belted the first pitch he saw to deep center field, but it was run down at the wall by Hamilton Carr to end the game.
 
Shaw (5-4) scattered four hits and walked one while striking out five in 6 1/3 innings of work. Barnett surrendered five hits and struck out four to earn the win for USI.
 
The two teams conclude their regular seasons tomorrow afternoon with a pair of games at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. First pitch is scheduled for noon.