On a day which was only supposed to have one game between the Lake Erie Storm baseball team and the Screaming Eagles of Southern Indiana, impending weather on Sunday caused that game to be moved to Saturday as well. Lake Erie grabbed their first win of the season in Game 1, coming back from down three runs in the ninth inning to win. But Southern Indiana won a decisive victory in Game 2 and took the series, two games to one.

Game 1

In the first game of Lake Erie's back-to-back performances against the Screaming Eagles, the Storm's bats showed up in a big way, especially late. After trailing Southern Indiana since the second inning and being shut out all game, the Storm found their second wind in the ninth, battling back from a 3-0 deficit by putting up five runs in the inning. The impressive offensive showing was highlighted by senior first baseman Corbin Paxton, whose three-run double gave the Storm the lead, a lead that they would ultimately hold onto, winning 5-4.

Other key Lake Erie players to grace the batter's box in Game 1 include designated hitter Trace Peterson, second baseman Drew Donaldson, shortstop Eric Doyle, and right fielder Eddie Morris, all of whom had multi-hit games (Paxton did as well).

On the mound, sophomore right hander Chase Tompkins pitched well out of the bullpen for the Storm, coming in and holding the Eagles scoreless over 3.1 innings. Tompkins was relieving starting pitcher Tyler Bryant, whose three runs, five hits, and six walks allowed in 4.2 innings of work caused head coach Gary Vaught to go to his pen earlier than he would have preferred. But Tompkins came in and served as the stop-gap the Storm desperately needed to have a chance to mount a comeback. Exiting after the eighth inning, Tompkins would ultimately be the winning pitcher for the Storm. Left hander Anthony Berrios Jr. pitched the ninth inning and earned himself a save in his first outing of the year.

 Southern Indiana received stellar pitching on their end until the ninth, most prominently from starter Garrett Welsh, who pitched six innings of scoreless ball before handing things off to Tyler Wheeler. Paul Perez would also throw an inning of spotless relief. Then Jacob Bowles came in to shut things down in the ninth, but that simply didn't happen, as he allowed five runs on five hits and two walks.

The victory was the Storm's first since March 7, 2020, when they defeated Notre Dame College, 7-4, also in the first game of a doubleheader.

Game 2

Unfortunately for Lake Erie though, the second game of the twin billing on Saturday wasn't as favorable of an outcome as the first, with the Storm falling by a score of 8-2 and losing the three-game series to the Eagles, two games to one. In this affair, Southern Indiana got out to the early lead once again, but this time, the Storm weren't able to find a way to come back. Eagles batters were able to get three runs off of Storm starter Mitch Sorensen to start the game, and two more before Sorensen left the game after 5.2 innings pitched, having given up nine hits and six walks in the process. Tristan Mayer came in to relieve Sorensen, but he didn't fare much better against the explosive Eagles bats, allowing three more runs before everything was said and done.

The Eagles found offensive support from several players, including third baseman Michael Conner, who picked up two doubles and an RBI on the night. First baseman Adam Wildeman also had two hits and two runs batted in. Additionally, right fielder Austin Moody had two hits, two RBI, and two stolen bases.

Lake Erie found its most production from first baseman Corbin Paxton, who went 3-4 with a run scored. A handful of other players grabbed hits as well, including right fielder Eddie Morris, whose RBI single in the fourth inning put the Storm on the board. But Lake Erie simply wasn't able to overcome strong performances on the mound from Southern Indiana, most notably starter Blake Ciufetelli, who got the win and clinched the series for the Eagles.

Next up for the Storm is a short trip east on Friday to take on Gannon, before turning around and heading slightly west on Saturday, for a doubleheader at Notre Dame College.