WESTFIELD, Ind. – The No. 21-ranked University of Indianapolis baseball team dropped the opening doubleheader to the Maryville Saints in Westfield, Ind. at the Grand Park Sports Complex.
 
The Hounds struggled in the first contest from the mound, giving up 11 walks in the first nine inning contest, allowing for a 12-6 final score. The second contest was a closer affair, but late inning relief pitching hurt the Hounds chances of a day split.
 
GAME 1: MARYVILLE – 12, UINDY – 6
The Saints jumped out early in the first game, putting two runs in the board before the Hounds answered in the fourth with a trio of runs via a pair of doubles by Denton Shepler and Adam Rakestraw and a single by Jared Bujdos.
 
The game was back-and-forth from there, with the Saints adding another in the top of the fifth to make it three-all, with the Hounds grabbing the lead right back with a Caleb Vaughn RBI single. From there, however, the Saints ran away with it, scoring nine runs from the sixth through the eighth with the Hounds having no answer. Drew Donaldson and Luis Vergara attempted to mount a ninth inning comeback with a pair of RBIs, but it was too little too late as the Hounds fell 12-6.
 
GAME 2: MARYVILLE – 5, UINDY 3 (7in.)
After a quiet first inning which saw both teams leave a runner stranded, Isaac Bair got the Hounds are the board in the second, roping a ball into left center sending home Shepler to make it 1-0. The Saints answered right back and more slapping a crooked number on the board making it 2-1.
 
Excellent pitching by the junior out of San Diego, Calif. Seth Spencer limited the runs for the Saints through six. His offense did their best to support him, with Donaldson continuing his hot streak crushing his fourth triple of the season down the right field line scoring Brandon DeWitt. Nick Lukac followed that up with a RBI single through the right side scoring Brady Ware and making it a 3-2 contest.
 
However, the Hounds bullpen faltered with Ware coming into pitch in the top of the seventh with runners on first and third. A big double to left center gave the Saints the lead and a wild pitch a few batters later extended it to the final score of 5-3.
 
HOUNDS BYTES
Head coach Al Ready on the teams start as they look to bounce back…
"This is the very first time this bunch has lost a ballgame since they've stepped on campus last August, even going back to the games we played in the fall. That is a tremendous feat, so I'm really proud of my guys for the way they've started out and I'm excited to get back on campus and get back to work."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Spencer threw his third game of the year with more than ten punchouts, grabbing 10 in the second game. 
- Donaldson, as some would say, continued to be good at baseball, walking four times on the day while grabbing three hits. 
- The Hounds had five doubles in the first contest. 

UP NEXT
The Hounds end the series as they started it, with a doubleheader against the Saints at Greyhound Park on UIndy's campus. The first seven inning game with start at noon, followed by a nine-inning game at shortly after the first.