UIndy Athletics

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Not one, not two, not three, but make it four straight trips to the NCAA Midwest Super Regional for the UIndy baseball team, after the Hounds took both games of Sunday's doubleheader against No. 2 seed host, Illinois Springfield.

In game one the Hounds needed to win to force a winner-take-all game two in the Midwest Region championship, and did just that with a late comeback in the final three innings to force the decider. In game two, UIndy led wire-to-wire, never leading by less two at any point during the game. 

UIndy has been in this spot before as a seven seed, with the last time coming in 2023 when UIndy became the first seven seed to make it to Cary for the NCAA DII College World Series.

GAME 1 | UIndy 11, Illinois Springfield 9
These two teams are no stranger to one another this season, with game one being the sixth time in the last month the Greyhounds and Prairie Stars have squared off. UIndy found itself down 9-4 after three innings, and needed a late inning surge to push itself to a decisive game two. 

The Hounds produced a slow and steady come back effort, starting with an RBI fielder's choice from Chase Mason in the sixth to make it 9-5 Illinois Springfield, but UIndy's bats exploded in the seventh inning. Four straight singles from Bret Perry, Joey Humphrey, Gavin Duran and Mason drove in four straight runs to knot the game at nine with two innings to play.

Humphrey played the hero in game one, coming up with a two-run home run moonshot in the eighth inning to give the Hounds its first lead of the game, and needing just three outs to secure the win. 

Griffin Hallahan made his second appearance of the weekend in relief of starting pitcher Kaleb Marrs, and tossing a near perfect six innings, only allowing four hits and punching out six. Aidan Pearson, the game one starter of the Midwest Regional, closed things out with a one-hit ninth inning of work to give UIndy the two-run win.

GAME 2 | UIndy 17, Illinois Springfield 14
It all came down to game two, and the Hounds took full advantage of the opportunity with a pair of first inning home runs from Gavin Duran and Chase Mason to give UIndy an early 3-0 lead. UIndy tacked on five more runs over the second and third innings, which included a double steal from Duran and Mason, where Duran was able to steal home base to cap off the third inning.

Nathan Jessup and Garrett Rusch added the third and fourth home runs for UIndy on the day in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively, to put the Greyhounds ahead by six, 14-8, after eight innings of action. 

Downing looked to book the Hounds' trip to Allendale with another productive ninth inning of work. He found himself a ground out, fly out, and strike out to cement his first save of the weekend in three appearances, ultimately sending the Greyhounds to an all familiar place, the Midwest Super Regional.

UP NEXT
The Greyhounds will now head to Allendale, Mich. for the best-of-three NCAA Midwest Super Regional against the top-seeded Grand Valley Lakers, with the first game scheduled for Thursday May 21.