 DALLAS, Texas – Matt Jones became the 12th Aces hitter of the season to log a home run, but it was too late for the University of Evansville baseball team on Saturday as the team dropped a 12-2 contest to Dallas Baptist at Horner Ballpark.
A four-run first inning set the tone for the hosts as a Jameson Hannah two-run blast highlighted the frame, and DBU (31-14, 10-3 Missouri Valley Conference) went on to add runs in both the second and third before adding four more in the fourth.
Brent Jurceka was given his first career start in the contest for UE (25-20, 7-7 MVC), and he was dealt his third loss of the season as he was pegged with 10 runs allowed (nine earned) over the opening four innings.
Following another DBU score in the sixth, Jones sent a towering pinch-hit homer over the fence in left field to cut the deficit to nine, but doubles from Austin Listi and Matt Duce re-established the 10 run lead for the Patriots to bring the game to an end in the bottom half of the seventh.
UE will return to action on Sunday as the Aces are set to square off against DBU at 1 p.m.
NOTES: All but one Aces hitter this season has logged a home run … The last time 12 different UE players registered a homer was during the 2001 season. … This weekend marks the 14th, 15th and 16th meetings between the Patriots and the Aces … Dating back to 1978, the first year that UE participated in Division I baseball, UE is 5-10 versus Dallas Baptist … Last season, the Aces dropped two out of three to the Patriots in Evansville … UE last visited DBU in 2014, winning a pair of games at Horner Ballpark on the way to hoisting a conference title … Since 1978, the Aces are 7-15 all-time against opponents from the state of Texas.
