By Will Pembroke, Debate & Discussion and Inside Xavier Sports Show Manager

Xavier’s baseball team won their season series against Indiana 3-1 in Bloomington over the weekend. The team also beat Michigan at home yesterday by a final score of 8-2. The win moved Xavier to 9-13.  

Game 1 of the series was close throughout, but Xavier captured the win with a final score of 9-7. Despite only scoring two runs in the first six innings, the Musketeers rallied late to score seven runs in the final three innings and pull out the victory. Graduate student catcher Jerry Huntzinger racked up three RBIs on the day, while senior shortstop Jack Housinger and sophomore catcher Matthew Deprey paced the Muskies in hits with two apiece. 

Junior right-hander Jared Gadd picked up the win on the pitching side, striking out two and allowing zero earned runs in just under two innings.

The second of four games between the Musketeers and Hoosiers ended in a similar outcome to the first, a 12-10 Xavier victory. There was no shortage of offense in this one, with Xavier scoring as many as six runs in one inning and recording an eye-popping 17 hits for the game. 

Junior centerfielder Garrett Schultz, junior left fielder Tyler Demartino and Huntzinger each tallied three hits, with Schultz also posting four RBIs. Graduate student left-hander Trevor Olson picked up his first win of the season in a five-inning, six-strikeout outing, giving up zero runs.

Game three of four was not kind to Xavier, ending in a 13-3 blowout loss at the hands of the Hoosiers. Poor pitching and three errors for the Musketeers kept them from winning. Senior left fielder Andrew Walker was one of the lone bright spots for Xavier, putting up three hits and a walk in four at-bats. Senior designated hitter Lane Flamm and junior third baseman Jared Cushing also posted two hits apiece.

The final matchup of the four-game series ended in the Musketeers’ favor with Xavier securing a dominant 13-7 victory. 

In spite of a two-error performance, Xavier started off the game scoring four runs in the first and never looked back. Housinger drove in four RBIs to lead the team while Demartino added three. Huntzinger, Housinger and Cushing each ended the game with two hits. 

Although Flamm got his first win of the season, pitching was still an issue for Xavier. The Musketeers allowed seven earned runs and gave up four free bases via walks. 

Starting tomorrow, the Musketeers will face off against Cincinnati in a crosstown series. The first of four games will begin at 4 p.m. on Hayden Field. UC is 9-10 this year.