VALPARAISO, Ind. – University of Evansville senior pitchers Shane Harris and Jakob Meyer combined on a three-hit shutout on Sunday, and the Purple Aces launched three home runs, as UE posted a 9-0 shutout victory over the Valparaiso Beacons at Emory G. Bauer Field in Valparaiso, Indiana.
“What a great bounce-back effort today, as I thought that we got a total team effort,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “Share Harris and Jakob Meyer were outstanding on the mound, and I thought that offensively, we had a lot of different guys step up and provide quality at-bats today.
“Today’s game was an important game for us. We needed this win before going into a very important stretch going into the conference tournament in two weeks.”
After giving up a lead-off double in the first inning, Harris (5-5) retired 14 of the next 15 Valparaiso hitters in order to set the tone for the day. Harris would limit the Beacons to just three hits and a walk in a career-high 7.0 innings of work, with a career-best eight strikeouts to earn the victory. Overall, 18 of Harris’ 21 outs were recorded either via strikeout or on the infield on the afternoon.
His teammates would give him all of the offensive support he would need in the second inning, as graduate third baseman Brent Widder launched a solo home run, his 10th of the year, and junior outfielder Ty Rumsey drove in two runs with a single and a Valparaiso error to give UE a 3-0 lead.
Rumsey would add a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to push the UE lead to 4-0, while graduate first baseman Chase Hug would add a two-run single in the seventh inning to move the UE advantage to 6-0. Rumsey then belted a two-run home run to right-center field in the eighth inning, and graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger added his team-leading 14th home run of the year two batters later with a solo shot to cap the scoring.
Meyer worked the final two innings without giving up a hit to finish off the shutout for UE. His strikeout to end the game capped UE’s first shutout since a 1-0 victory at Illinois State on May 6, 2023, almost one year to the day of Sunday’s shutout.
Rumsey led UE offensively by going 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. Senior designated hitter Kip Fougerousse also added three hits, and Shallenberger, Hug, and junior second baseman Cal McGinnis had two-hit days as well. Senior shortstop Simon Scherry also recorded his 250th career hit with a single in the sixth inning.
With the victory, Evansville improved to 27-20 overall and 14-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference, as the Purple Aces earned their sixth-straight MVC series victory. Valparaiso, meanwhile, dropped to 14-31 overall and 6-15 in the MVC with the loss. Evansville will now briefly return home to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium on Tuesday night to host crosstown rival Southern Indiana in a mid-week contest. First-pitch is set for 6 p.m. and tickets for Tuesday’s game can be purchased by calling Logan Belz in the UE athletic ticket office by phone at 812-488-2623.
