“Such a great win for our team today. It started on the mound and defensively I felt like all weekend we played stellar defense that gave us a chance,” said Aces head baseball coach Wes Carroll. “Of course on the mound getting the efforts from Donovan Schultz and Caleb Reinhardt today was outstanding and then for our bats to just really come alive and get into their bullpen. Their starter was magnificent today with his ability to keep us off balance with some really good off-speed. For us to take three out of four against such a quality club with four legit rotation arms really gives us a boost of confidence that we’re going to have to take into Missouri Valley play.”
Xavier found the scoreboard first in the second inning, scoring runs off a double and single to take a 2-0 lead. The long ball helped halve the Musketeers lead in the bottom half of the second as freshman Mark Shallenberger launched a solo shot to right to cut the Xavier lead to 2-1.
Senior Craig Shepherd tied the game in the fourth, ripping a base-hit to center that scored freshman Simon Scherry.
After giving up the two runs in the second, freshman pitcher Donovan Schultz was lights-out. Schultz exited after the fifth, allowing four hits and striking-out a career-high eight batters.
The late innings proved to be key to the Aces win, beginning in the seventh with two outs and a pair of runners on. Junior Tanner Craig came to the plate and drove a single up the middle, scoring redshirt junior Kenton Crews and giving the Aces the 3-2 lead.
Evansville broke the game wide open in the eighth, batting around and scoring six runs, including a two-run single by senior Ben Komonosky, an RBI single from Crews, and an RBI double by redshirt senior Troy Beilsmith.
Junior Caleb Reinhardt closed-out his impressive performance in the ninth, allowing just one runner on and getting out of the inning with a line-out to third. Reinhardt earned the victory, his first of the season, pitching four scoreless innings, giving-up just three hits.
“Just a gutsy effort,” remarked Carroll. “Another Sunday win for our club coming into the yard and expecting to win and playing at a high level. I couldn’t be more proud of our team right now.”
Evansville closes its 11-game home-stand next weekend with a four-game set against South Dakota State on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
