INDIANAPOLIS—The UIndy baseball team opened the 2023 season with a bang, topping the visiting Notre Dame Falcons by scores of 17-1 and 32-7. The latter game featured the highest run total by a Greyhound baseball club in program history. Four different Hounds went yard in the doubleheader, led by Drew Donaldson's 13 total bases and eight RBIs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The offense exploded right out of the gate for the Hounds in game one, putting up a pair of runs in the first off a Brian Keeney single. From there the floodgates opened with another run in the first coming off a Falcon error. Errors continued to haunt the Falcons in the second, with the Hounds scoring three more unearned runs in the second mark. The biggest punch to Notre Dame College came in the third, when Donaldson grabbed his first two RBIs via a deep drive over the right field fence. The Falcons responded, netting a run off some situational hitting and contact orientated approaches.
 
The 10-0 score held until the fourth in which Donaldson himself would be the one to break the Greyhound offensive drought with a single up the middle, scoring Will Spear. Just two at bats later, Brady Ware added even more on, sending the second Greyhound ball out of the park, making it 14-1. Keeney made it a double homer inning, launching a two-run bomb just two batters later to make it 16-1. Denton Shepler would score the final run of the first game, poking a single into right field, finding the final score of 17-1.
 
The early onslaught of offense by the Hounds was one-upped in the second contest of the sunny doubleheader, with the Hounds dropping seven runs on the heads of the Falcons. Donaldson was the man to get the scoring started again with a single through the right side, and the benefit of another Falcon error. Shepler in the bottom of the second added to the homer total, sending one out to left field to make it 8-0. Easton Good's two RBI single in the bottom of the second marked the end of the inning.
 
Quality work by the Hounds' starting pitching limited opportunities for Falcon offense through four, only allowing two earned runs. Good yet again made good, scratching another across the plate with another single. Donaldson kept playing contact baseball with a single up the middle to drive two more home, and Caleb Vaughn grabbed his first RBI of the day just one batter later, sending Donaldson home on a double.
 
With the sun starting to set in the bottom of the sixth, Jared Bujdos cranked a ball into left field just short of the fence, scoring three more runs making the blowout 17-3. The Falcons managed to fight back offensively, scoring three in the seventh, capitalizing on two UIndy errors. The Hounds, refusing any attempt at a miraculous comeback, answered with an incredible 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh, making it 29-7. In the long inning, both Reid Rector and Jake Estes grabbed doubles with RBIs in tow.
 
Fittingly, Donaldson was the final Hound to plate some runs, crushing a ball to left field sending home both Adam Rakestraw and Issac Bair to get the Hounds their final score of 32-7.

HOUND BYTES

? | Hear from Drew Donaldson on what led to his success in today's DH! pic.twitter.com/nOufAd0Ukx

— UIndy Athletics (@UIndyAthletics) February 18, 2023

UP NEXT
The final game of the three game home stand versus the Notre Dame College Falcons is set to be played tomorrow at Feb. 18. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 12 p.m.