VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team returned to Jerry Blemker Field Saturday afternoon for the opening two games of their four-game weekend Mid-West Athletic Conference series with Spoon River College.
The Trailblazers got the weekend off to a great start by taking game one over the Snappers 10-4 before dropping game two 9-0 to even the series heading into the final doubleheader Sunday.
The Trailblazers started slow Saturday afternoon with Spoon River plating a run in the first three innings to take an early 3-0 lead.
VU would get on the board in the bottom of the third after loading the bases with back-to-back singles by sophomore Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) and freshman Jevan Andrews (Hobart, Ind.) and sophomore Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.) reaching on an error.
Vincennes got on the scoreboard with a bases loaded walk by Yancey Edlin (Pekin, Ind.) followed by a two-RBI single by sophomore Noble Johnson (Terre Haute, Ind.) to even the score at 3-3.
The Trailblazers grabbed their first lead of the game in the fourth on a two RBI single by sophomore Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.), with the Blazers scoring another run in the inning on a successful double steal to take a 6-3 lead over Spoon River.
Vincennes kept adding to their lead in the fifth after a two-out walk by sophomore Bryce Gross, followed by a walk by Bradyn Douglas and an RBI single by Jevan Andrews.
Spoon River would get a run back in the seventh and cut the deficit to 7-4 before the Blazers answered back in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back walks by sophomore Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.) and Bryce Gross and an RBI single by Bradyn Douglas, his fourth hit of the game and fifth time reaching base safely in game one.
Jevan Andrews followed this with a two-RBI double to get the Vincennes lead to 10-4 heading into the final two innings.
The Blazers were able to hold Spoon River off the scoreboard down the stretch as Vincennes comes away with the game one victory by the final score of 10-4 over the Snappers.
Sophomore Carson Allen (Louisville, Ky.) got the start in game one of the day, settling in to throw six and one-third innings, allowing four runs, three earned on nine hits and striking out one.
Freshman Jacob Allen (Vincennes, Ind.) came in for the Blazers in relief, pitching the final two and two-thirds innings without allowing a run and only allowing one hit with two strikeouts.
The Trailblazers looked to keep this momentum going in game two of the day and once again found themselves playing from behind early after Spoon River scored four runs in the second to take the early lead.
The Snappers continued to add to their lead with a run in the fourth and another run in the sixth before adding three more insurance runs in the seventh to take a 9-0 lead.
The Trailblazers had opportunities at the plate throughout the game, getting runners in scoring position in four out of seven innings and had the bases loaded in the seventh but were unable to push a run across as Spoon River closed out the day with a 9-0 win in game two.
Freshman Eastin Whaley (Kokomo, Ind.) got the start in game two for the Trailblazers, working well around a tough second inning to throw four innings, allowing five runs on two hits and striking out one.
Freshman Jakob Hoyer (Georgetown, Ind.) was the first out of the bullpen in game two, throwing two-plus innings, allowing three runs, two earned on three hits with three strikeouts.
Bryce Gross came in from his shortstop position to close out the seventh inning, allowing one unearned run without allowing a hit and striking out one in one-inning on the mound.
The Trailblazers will look to bounce back and close out the weekend strong as the Blazers look to pick up the series win Sunday, April 27 with the final two games of this four-game series. First pitch Sunday is set for 12 p.m. eastern at Jerry Blemker Field.
