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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Ryan Billo, Jake Naumann, and Josh Biggs combined for a five-hit shutout Wednesday evening, as the University of Evansville baseball team topped Lipscomb University, 5-0, at Braun Stadium. The Aces will take a 16-9 overall record into this weekend’s Valley affair at Creighton, while the Bison fall to 10-16 on the season. The shutout marks the first for the Aces this season.

Throwing a no-hitter into the fifth frame, Billo (4-0) scattered just three hits in six and two thirds innings, while striking out three. Out of the pen, Naumann hurled 1.1 frames, striking out two, while Biggs closed the game in the ninth. Both relievers permitted just one hit apiece.

Junior Chris Pearson piloted the Aces’ offense with his 3-for-3 performance at the plate with a run scored. Classmate Andy Lasher also logged a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with two runs batted in.

A pitcher’s duel through the first four frames, Evansville broke the stalemate in the fifth as Eric Stamets sparked the Aces’ bats with a leadoff double to left-centerfield. Moving over to third on Tim Bodine’s sacrifice bunt, Jake Mahon scored Stamets on his sacrifice fly to left for a 1-0 lead.

After Lipscomb starter Chris Nunn (0-2) issued two walks in the sixth, Pearson and Lasher connected for back-to-back singles off reliever Jordan Zelhart to make it a 2-0 lead for Evansville.

In the eighth, UE added three more runs of insurance, as Kevin Kaczmarski led off with a single to right and Copeland reached on a throwing error, allowing Kaczmarski to make it all the way home. With one out, Pearson and Lasher lined consecutive singles again off Tyler Burstrom, and Copeland came around to score on Lasher’s blooper into right field. Stamets capped the scoring for the night with an RBI groundout to the shortstop, plating Pearson for a 5-0 advantage.

The Aces return to Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, traveling to Omaha, Neb. to take on Creighton University at TD Ameritrade Park. UE owns a 1-2 mark in the MVC while the Bluejays are 0-3 after the first week of league games. The three-game series begins Friday at 6:00 p.m. CT.