WESTFIELD, Ind. – The 2016 regular season came to an end for the Greyhound baseball team on Saturday with a split against Southern Indiana at Grand Park in nearby Westfield.
 
The UIndy bats exploded in game one, recording 11 hits on their way to a 12-2 rout of the Screaming Eagles. In game two, the Greyhounds jumped out to an early lead, but were done in by a pair of USI home runs in an 8-4 defeat.
 
Devon Hensley belted his sixth home run and second grand slam of the year in game one. Kyle Orloff also drove in four runs on the day and Brady Thomas finished with four hits. The split moves UIndy to 32-18 on the year and a second place finish in the GLVC East with a 17-11 record. After taking three-of-four games over the weekend, the Screaming Eagles finish the year 33-17 with a 20-8 mark in league play.
 
GAME ONE: UIndy 12 – Southern Indiana 2
 
Indianapolis wasted no time getting after USI starter Austin Krizan, scoring three runs in their first trip to the plate with Thomas' RBI single and Orloff's two-run double plating the Hounds' three runs.
 
The Hounds stayed hot at the dish in the second and after loading the bases with one out, Colin Hawk cleared the base paths with a double into the left center field gap. Thomas brought Hawk home later in the inning with a single up the middle, spotting the Hounds to a 7-0 lead.
 
The Eagles got on the board with a run scoring single in the third, but UIndy would land the game's knockout punch one inning later.  Orloff added to the lead with a one out RBI single, and following another single and a walk, Hensley drilled a 1-2 over the left field wall to make it 12-1 Hounds.
 
USI got one back in the sixth, but the Eagles stranded the bags full to end the inning and left another pair of runners on to end the game.
 
Connor Mailloux (4-5) needed 125 pitches to record his second complete game of the year. The junior allowed one earned run and scattered seven hits while walking three and striking out four on the day.
 
GAME TWO: Southern Indiana 8 – Uindy 4
 
For the second straight game, the Greyhounds got on the board early, this time with Dylan Jones depositing the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for his third round tripper of the year and a 1-0 UIndy lead after two innings. Two innings later, Orloff doubled the lead with a sac fly, scoring Brady Thomas.
 
But the Screaming Eagles would fight back in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with two outs for cleanup hitter Sam Griggs. Griggs fell behind 0-2 in the count before poking a grand slam over the left field wall to put USI in front, 4-2.
 
Anthony Asalon cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning with a two out double down the left field line, but the Eagles would respond in their next trip to the plate when Trent Gunn hit a towering fly ball that appeared to be foul off the bat, but curved back around the foul pole before being rule a two run home run to make it a 6-3 game.
 
Macy Holdsworth cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double, but USI dealt the crushing blow in the top of the seventh when Ryan Bertram brought in a pair with a double of his own to cap the scoring.
 
Michael Schalasky (3-3) took the loss for UIndy, giving up six earned runs on eight hits with three walks and five punch outs in five plus innings of work.
 
With the regular season in the books, the Greyhounds will have to wait a little while to find out their opening round opponent in the 2016 GLVC Baseball Championship. The tournament gets underway at Grand Park on Thursday, May 12 with start times and pairing announced at a later date.