The Purple Aces continued their multi-base streak with three doubles on Saturday
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The University of Evansville baseball team fell behind early and couldn’t come back on Saturday night in a 13-3 loss to the Southern Illinois Salukis.
Saluki third baseman Matt Schark was the Purple Aces’ kryptonite on Saturday night as the redshirt senior hit three home runs off UE’s pitchers. The Evansville pitching staff matched a season-high in home runs given up as SIU had five long balls in six innings. The Aces offense did keep from being shut out, led by senior second baseman Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) with two hits.
UE started the game well with two hits, a double from first baseman Jake McGhee (Fenton, Mo. / Christian Brothers Academy) and a single from McGinnis. But no run scored in the first as center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) popped up to short, and catcher Evan Waggoner’s (Bedford, Ind. / Bedford North Lawrence HS) fly ball was the third out of the first. Southern Illinois took an early lead with a solo home run in the bottom frame of the inning. But starter Kevin Reed (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville HS) responded quickly with back-to-back strikeouts to end the first.
A quick second inning as Evansville went down in order, and the defense worked around a lead-off single. The Salukis widened their lead in the bottom of the third as Schark hit a three-run home run to make it a 4-0 game without an out on the board. The Aces took down two batters, but SIU hit the second homer of the frame to make it a 6-0 game after only a third.
Only an inning later, the Salukis widened their lead to nine as Schark hit his third home run in as many at-bats. Southern Illinois added another three runs as a double cleared the bases after UE’s pitching gave up three straight passes in the fourth. Evansville had a hill to climb going into the top of the fifth, down 12-0. The Aces’ defense had their only three-up and three-down inning in the fifth as reliever RJ James (Toronto / Sir John A. McDonald HS) had two straight strikeouts.
UE’s offense was able to follow the defense’s momentum in the top of the sixth. While McGhee led off the inning with a pop-up, Evansville’s next three batters reached base. It was Waggoner who helped bring the first Aces runs home with a double off the wall in left center, scoring Rumsey and McGinnis.
Waggoner also advanced to third after the double thanks to a SIU throwing error. He scored shortly after as shortstop Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo./ Blue Springs HS) hit an RBI ground out to second base, making it a 12-3 game. UE picked up another single as right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) sharply hit a ball to third base and was able to beat the throw to first. A fielder’s choice ended Evansville’s best offensive inning of the night with three runs and three hits.
The Salukis got their fifth and final home run of the game in the bottom of the sixth to go back up by 10 runs. The Aces needed a run to not have the game end two innings early on the run-rule. But a lead-off ground out from left fielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS), followed by two pinch hitters, ended the game in a 13-3 final.
The weekend series will be decided on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match. First pitch from Itchy Jones Stadium in the deciding game is set for 1 p.m.
