The University of Evansville baseball team broke out of their mid-season doldrums and the Aces relief staff put the clamps down on the Valparaiso bats, as UE got back in the win column, beating the Crusaders 8-1 Friday afternoon at Bauer Field.
The Aces sent out right-hander Adam Lukas to start the game on the hill, and the junior flame-thrower torched the Valpooffense for six strikeouts across the three frames of shutout work, while not allowing a hit.
Still, the game remained scoreless until the fourth inning. That’s when sophomore first baseman Tanner Craig drilled a triple to right, driving in freshman A.J. Fritz for the icebreaker, making it 1-0 Evansville. Junior center fielder Troy Beilsmith drilled a hot shot to third, which led to an error, allowing Craig to tally an insurance run, putting Evansville up 2-0.
Lukas’ shutout bid got broken up in the bottom of the frame, as Jeremy Drudge tagged him for an RBI double down the right field line, cutting the Aces lead in half, 2-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Lukas would get into trouble with back to back walks to open the inning, ending his day. For the game, Lukas went four innings, allowing one run, on hit, with six strikeouts and six walks. He would give way the freshman left-hander Michael Parks, who came in and put the fire out, keeping it a 2-1 Evansville lead.
In sixth inning, the Aces bats would erupt. Following a pair of walks, senior left fielder Matthew Jones would start the scoring spree with an RBI single through the left side of the infield, plating Tanner Craig. Later in the frame, Evansville would load up the bases, chasing Valparaiso starting pitcher Jon Tieman from the game. However, UE kept swinging, as senior third baseman Sam Troyer delivered a clutch two-run single to left, putting Evansville up 5-1. Senior designated hitter NateReeder would keep the ball rolling for the Aces with a two-run single to right, scoring both Troyer and junior catcher Ben Komonosky, pushing the UE lead to 7-1. Freshman right fielder A.J. Fritz would cap the six-run explosion with an RBI single to left, putting Evansville up 8-1.
From there, UE bullpen would take care of the rest, as Michael Parks and Garrett Presko combined to pitch five scoreless innings, sealing the deal.
With the win, Evansville moves to 20-18 and 7-3 in conference play, while Valparaiso drops to 8-28 overall and 1-9 in league play.
