Aces drop series opener to Indiana State in extras

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – In a battle fitting of the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, the University of Evansville baseball team was edged by Indiana State, 7-6, in 10 innings at Bob Warn Field on Friday night in Terre Haute, Ind.

“Competitive Friday night Valley game that didn’t go our way in extra innings,” said Aces head baseball coach Wes Carroll. “Shane Gray was outstanding, but credit their offense for putting the ball in play. Tanner delivered a big blow, but we squandered a couple opportunities to get that game tonight. We knew this weekend was going to be a dogfight because both teams are playing well.”

The aforementioned Gray turned-in a career-best nine innings of work on the night, allowing six runs and striking-out three and getting the Aces out of a couple of difficult situations. At the plate, Mark Shallenberger, Tanner Craig, and Ty Rumsey, the one, two, and nine hitters in the lineup all recorded a pair of hits with Craig launching his 42nd career home run.

Evansville jumped on the board first with third baseman Brent Widder capitalizing on a Sycamore mistake and ultimately scoring on an RBI groundout from Evan Berkey in the second inning. Indiana State answered, scoring a combined three runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 3-1 lead.

What would prove to be a back-and-forth affair saw the Aces battle back to tie the contest at three on a Shallenberger RBI base hit and a wild pitch that scored Rumsey. After a bunt scored a run for Indiana State in the sixth, the Aces responded in a big way in the top of the seventh. With two runners on and one out, Craig demolished a ball to left field, pushing UE back in front, 6-4, and earning the fifth-year senior his 12th blast of the season.

As was true all night, an answer was manufactured by the Sycamores with a pair of runs the next half inning, tying the game at six. That score would hold until the bottom of the 10th inning when Keegan Watson hit a walk-off home run to left to secure a 7-6 win for Indiana State.

The two sides will meet again on Saturday at 1 PM (CT) for the second game of their three-game series at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute, Ind.