EVANSVILLE – On the second day of a four-game set, the University of Evansville baseball team earned a double-header split with a 3-2 win and 7-6 loss to Western Illinois on Saturday at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
Game One
Western Illinois jumped on the board early in the day’s first game, getting a run on a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Evansville answered in the bottom half of the inning as freshman Simon Scherry doubled, scoring sophomore Danny Borgstrom and redshirt senior Troy Beilsmith to put the Aces in front 2-1.
After the Leathernecks tied the game at two in the top of the second, the game hit an offensive lull. Junior hurler Jake McMahill settled in to his spot start role, finishing the game after six innings, allowing two runs on just one hit and striking-out five.
Freshman Jakob Meyer came in for the top of the seventh and worked well middle of the Leatherneck’s order allowing a double with one out, but shutting the door with back-to-back fly outs. In the Aces half of the seventh, following a foul out for the first out, junior Mason Brinkley came in to pinch hit and promptly drove a double down the left field line. After a pop out put two outs on the board, the Aces cycled back to the top of the order and Borgstrom.  On a 2-2 count, Borgstrom dropped a single over the center fielders head, scoring the winning run in Brinkley.
“It was great to see Jake McMahill give us a chance to compete on the mound and for Danny Borgstrom to deliver a big barrel to walk off was an exciting college baseball game that we earned and it was great to see Danny step up in a big time situation,” said Aces head baseball coach Wes Carroll.
Game Two
After a relatively light offensive game in the first half of the doubleheader, the two offensives exploded in the second game. Western Illinois pushed three runs across in the top of the first, but Evansville had an answer in the bottom half. Smashing his first home run of the season on Friday night, junior Tanner Craig drilled another homer, this one to opposite field, scoring two and cutting the Leatherneck’s lead to one at 3-2.
Two more runs in the top of the second increased WIU’s lead back to three. Â With a pair of Aces on in the fourth, the aforementioned Brinkley powered a three-run home run down the right field line that glanced off the foul pole to tie the game at five.
Down the stretch, Western Illinois regained its lead in the seven, scoring a pair of runs and forcing Evansville into a corner in the bottom half of the inning. Evansville responded to the challenge as leadoff pinch hitter Kenton Crews doubled to open the inning. After back-to-back Ks, Beilsmith made it a one-run game with an RBI double to score Crews and Craig reached base with a two-out walk. The Aces looked poised to again mount a comeback, but a strikeout ended the threat as the Leathernecks grabbed the 7-6 win.
“We just couldn’t overcome a poor start from our starting pitcher and it was great to be able to have the winning run at the plate multiple times there in the bottom of the seventh,” said Carroll on the second game of the day. “You’ve got to credit their pitcher who doubled-up a change-up there on Mark Shallenberger and just made some big pitches late in that game.”
“Tomorrow’s an important day for our club as we come to the yard,” remarked Carroll on the opportunities ahead of the Aces on Sunday. “Experiencing a four-game weekend that we’ll have to be ready for at Southern Illinois. Hopefully we come to the yard with a lot of energy and have a chance to win the series.”
Evansville and Western Illinois close their four-game series on Sunday with a single game at 1 PM at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
