Trailblazers drop conference doubleheader at Danville Area

DANVILLE, Ill. – The Vincennes University Trailblazer baseball team began their first split four-game Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) series of the season Friday afternoon at Danville Area Community College.

The Trailblazers fell in the first two games of the four-game weekend series by the score of 8-3 and 6-1.

Vincennes began the weekend series with a bang, scoring two runs in the first inning on back-to-back RBI singles by freshman Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.) and sophomore Connor VanLannen (Clinton, Ind.).

The Jaguars quickly answered back to take the lead with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first.

Danville Area continued to add to their lead with three more runs in the second to take a 6-2 lead over the visiting Trailblazers.

Vincennes would get a run back in the fifth after a lead-off double by sophomore Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.). Long would come around to score on a groundout by Evans.

Danville Area would respond with a run in the bottom half of the inning to grow the lead back to four runs.

The Jaguars would add an insurance run in the seventh as Vincennes was unable to complete a comeback as Danville Area took game one 8-3.

Connor VanLannen got the start on the mound for the Trailblazers in game one and lasted two innings, allowing six runs on six hits, while striking out three.

Sophomore Braedon Nichols (Sullivan, Ind.) entered out of the bullpen to throw three and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on four hits, while punching out a pair of batters.

Freshmen Konner Thyen (Huntingburg, Ind.), Cauy Motsinger (Salem, Ind.) and sophomore Camden Greer (Boonville, Ind.) finished the remaining two and one-third innings, combining to allow one run without allowing a hit, while striking out four batters.

Vincennes got a good day at the plate from lead-off batter Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.) who came through with three hits on five at-bats, including a double in the second inning.

Colin Long also came through with a pair of hits, scoring two runs and stealing a base.

Danville Area continued the momentum into game two, jumping out to an early lead with a three-run home run in the second and a two-run home run in the fourth lead 5-0 midway through the seven-inning game.

VU was able to get on the scoreboard in the fifth when Colton Evans drove in Colin Long for the third time Friday with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-1.

The Jaguars would quickly get that run back in the bottom of the fifth, as Danville Area went on to take game two by the score of 6-1 and take the first two games of the series.

Vincennes turned to freshman Dawson Blaylock (Eaton, Ohio) as the game two starter. Blaylock threw three and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out one.

The VU bullpen again slowed down the Danville hitters, with freshmen Eli Steimel (Sullivan, Ind.) and Caleb Moore (Wentzville, Mo.) and sophomore Luke Osborn (Perryville, Ind.) combined to throw two and one-third innings, allowing one run on one hit, with Moore and Osborn each recording a strikeout.

Sophomore Peyton Lane (New Paris, Ohio) had a good game at the plate in game two, hitting three for four, including a double in the seventh.

“It all starts on the bump and unfortunately for the first time in a long time Connor just didn’t have it today,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “He’s been solid all year for us, so I’m sure he will rebound the next time he goes out. But the bullpen did a great job for us. They responded and pitched well, whether it was Nichols, Konner Thyen did a good job for four hitters, Motsinger and Greer all threw really well.”

“In the second game it was the same thing,” Barney added. “The bullpen did a good job. Unfortunately Danville strung together a few hits and got a big blast to go up 3-0 and got another blast, but our bullpen again did fine. Offensively we just have to do a better job of stringing it together. Then we just have to keep the momentum on our side, every time we score, they found a way to grab it back and put a run or more across the plate. So, hats off to Danville. Their second game starter was pretty good.”

“They are just doing exactly what they need to be doing,” Barney said of the hitting performances of Burdette, Long and Lane. “We’ve just got to find a way to string them together and come up with some big hits behind them. We had some opportunities early in game one to blow things open and we left guys on base and we had some more opportunities later in the game but we weren’t able to string hits together in a row like we did last weekend.”

The Trailblazers will return home to Jerry Blemker Field Sunday, April 3 for the final two games of the series looking for the series split.

First pitch Sunday is set for 2 p.m. eastern, with sophomore Kestler Harbuck (Brooksville, Fla.) set to start game three and the game four starter still to be announced.

“Our goal right now is to come back home and get a split out of the series and go 2-2 on the weekend and return the favor to them,” Barney said. “We’ve got Harbuck on the mound for game three and to be announced for game four, but we feel good about it. Our bullpen is in great shape. We didn’t overthrow anybody today, so everyone should be available and ready to roll on Sunday with the day off tomorrow.”

“We’ve just got to jump on them early and sustain it,” Barney added. “We need to continue to do a great job defensively like we have and then our starters need to hopefully get us into the sixth or seventh innings.”