EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After dropping the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader, the University of Evansville baseball team exploded for 16 runs in the nightcap and freshman left-hander Kenton Deverman continued to dazzle on the mound, as the Purple Aces split a doubleheader with the visiting Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
“The first game really got away from us, but I really liked the way that we bounced back in game two,†said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “Throughout the course of a series and a season, momentum can be stopped or created by the guy in the center of the diamond, and I thought that Kenton Deverman really did a great job of getting the momentum back in our dugout in game two.
“Overall, a great effort both offensively and on the mound in game two. We need to carry that momentum over to Sunday, as it is a big game for us.â€
Deverman set the tone early for UE in game two, as he allowed just a walk through the first two innings. Evansville then took advantage of a Mastodon error to plate three runs in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a two-out, three-run home run to right field by junior outfielder Ty Rumsey.
UE would double the lead to 6-0 in the third inning after another scoreless frame from Deverman, as junior second baseman Cal McGinnis capped a string of three-straight UE base hits with an RBI single to score the inning’s first run. Then, junior outfielder Harrison Taubert laced a two-run double two batters leader to extend the lead to 6-0.
Evansville blew things open in the fifth inning, as the Purple Aces plated eight runs on eight hits while sending 13 men to the plate. Graduate third baseman Brent Widder delivered the big blow of the inning with a titanic three-run home run to left-field into the netting that protects the Lloyd Expressway for his fourth home run of the year. UE would add a single run in the sixth inning on a Ben Stuart pinch-hit double and a Purdue Fort Wayne error to move the lead to 15-0.
The Mastodons would finally get to Deverman for three runs in the seventh inning to end his outing, but the freshman yielded just three runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings of work. Of the eight hits, he allowed only four through the first six innings, with three of them being infield singles. In fact, Deverman allowed just four balls total to leave the infield against him through the first six innings of work.
Taubert capped the scoring for UE in the seventh inning with his second RBI double of the night, as he went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI to lead the Purple Aces’ offense. McGinnis and graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger also had three-hit nights, and all nine UE starters collected hits, as Evansville pounded out 20 base hits.
The game two win was needed for UE after Purdue Fort Wayne took the opener on Saturday, 11-3. Freshman second baseman Brodie Peart was a bright spot in game one, going 3-for-3 with an RBI. Evansville actually led 3-2 after four innings, but a five-run fifth inning broke things open for the Mastodons in the opener.
The two teams will conclude the four-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. with a single contest. Freshman left-hander Kevin Reed (1-0, 5.00 ERA) will get the start for the Purple Aces.
