Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. – After scoring four runs in the first three innings, the University of Evansville baseball team lost its lead as the hosting Creighton Bluejays tied the ballgame in the seventh, but the Aces pulled it out in the end with a four-run ninth inning to win 8-4 Friday night. The victory improves Evansville’s record to 17-9 on the season and 2-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, while the Jays dropped their fifth straight game, falling to 11-12 overall and 0-4 in the MVC.

Out of the bullpen, Josh Biggs (2-0) earned the win, throwing two and two thirds innings, having no runs credited to him, no hits, and struck out two. Starter Cole Isom took the no decision throwing six innings in the down pouring rain. He allowed just one run, five hits, four walks, and logged two strikeouts.

In a wild night at TD Ameritrade Park, Evansville took an early 4-0 lead through three innings after scoring one in the first, two in the second, and one run in the third. Eric Stamets led off the game with a double to left field and scored on Jake Mahon’s RBI groundout.

In the second, Creighton starter Ty Blach walked Kevin Kaczmarski and gave up a hard-hit single to Trentt Copeland to put two on base with no outs. Jason Hockemeyer executed the sacrifice bunt to move both into scoring position, and Blach’s wild pitch allowed Kaczmarski to cross the plate. Copeland came home on Andy Lasher’s sacrifice fly to centerfield for a 3-0 head start.

Tim Bodine and Mahon led off the third with back-to-back singles and Copeland recorded his second hit of the evening with two outs, plating Bodine.

The Bluejays got on the board in the third, playing small ball as Chance Ross led off with a single, advanced on a walk and sacrifice bunt, and scored on Anthony Bemboom’s sac fly in foul territory.

Both starters settled down to put up zeros in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.

Going into the seventh with a 4-1 lead, Evansville’s defense suffered a lapse as Creighton scored three runs in the bottom of the frame. Reliever Naumann gave up a leadoff single to Jake Petr, hit Ross, and after recording a strikeout, walked two batters consecutively to load the bases and score a run. Called from the bullpen, Biggs balked his first pitch to bring in another run and Scott Thornburg’s fielder’s choice tied the game, 4-4.

In the ninth, Chris Pearson sparked the three-run rally with a single up the middle. Lasher followed with a walk, and Stamets’ well-placed bunt loaded the bases with no outs. Reliever Reese McGraw’s wild pitch allowed the go-ahead run in Pearson to cross the plate. McGraw settled down to record two strikeouts, but the rally wasn’t over yet. A throwing error that would have been the final out of the side, allowed two runs to score and set up Kaczmarski’s RBI double that capped inning.

Biggs shut down the Jays in the ninth to secure the victory.

A true team effort, eight Aces recorded hits in the win, led by Copeland’s 2-for-5 effort.

The Aces are back in action Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and have the chance to secure their first series win over Creighton since the 2006 season.