Aces even series with exceptional defensive performance in 6-2 win

EVANSVILLE – Turning in a complete effort in all three phases of the game, the University of Evansville baseball team evened its weekend series with Southern Illinois with a 6-2 victory over the Salukis on Saturday afternoon at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

“Great bounce back win from last night,” said Aces head baseball coach Wes Carroll. “Nick Smith was outstanding giving us a quality start and our defense made some great plays. Offensively we attacked in the first inning and got out in front. We were picking each other up all day especially with two outs. Big Valley game tomorrow.”

On the mound, Smith earned his second-straight quality start, turning-in six innings of work, allowing just two earned runs and striking-out five in the win. Offensively, four Aces finished with two hits on the afternoon with Mark Shallenberger, Evan Berkey, Eric Roberts, and Brendan Hord all tallying multi-hit games.

Doing so for the 10th time this season, Evansville scored in the first inning, pushing across a pair of runs. Simon Scherry opened the scoring with an RBI groundout, which allowed Shallenberger to scored. The next batter, Brent Widder, doubled the Aces early advantage, slashing a single through the right side of the infield, allowing Tanner Craig to score.

An RBI double in the third allowed the Salukis to get back within a run after the Aces lost a pop fly in the sun, allowing a run to score. Evansville regained its advantage in the bottom half of the third as Hord delivered the first of his clutch hits of the afternoon, sending home Berkey to increase UE’s lead to 3-1.

As was true multiple times on the day, Evansville’s defense came up large helping to save runs. In the fifth, Widder tracked a ball in foul territory, making a diving over-the-shoulder grab to record the second out of the inning.

The Salukis would get back within a run just an inning after Widder’s show-stopping catch as J.D. Ortiz lifted a solo home run over the right field wall to cut Evansville’s lead to one at 3-2.

Quick responses were a hallmark of the Aces effort on Saturday as UE answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two RBI double from Shallenberger that gave Evansville its largest lead up to that point at 5-2.

Adding some insurance in the eighth, Hord capped-off his big day with a solo homer, his third bomb of the season, as the Aces lead reached 6-2.

After Michael Parks and Drew Domonik came in and pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, Evansville turned to Nate Hardman to close things out in the ninth. After a tough start on Friday night, Hardman returned to his usual form, sitting the Salukis down in order, securing the 6-2 win for the Aces.

Evansville and SIU close their series on Sunday with a 1 PM first pitch at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.