Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The University of Evansville baseball team continued its winning ways Tuesday evening, topping SIU Edwardsville, 8-6, at Roy. E Lee Field. The victory marks the Aces’ seventh straight midweek win and improves their overall record to 19-10, while the Cougars fall to 13-15 on the season.
 
“It was nice to see our offense provide us with a punch in the late innings,” said head coach Wes Carroll. “It’s a good midweek road win and hopefully it will give us the confidence we need going into the weekend.”
 
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Billo (5-0) kept his season record unblemished, tossing 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, eight hits, a walk, and struck out four to earn the win. Jake Naumann hurled 1.2 frames out of the bullpen, giving up a run, two hits, and struck out one, while Sam Johns earned his first save of the season, holding off the Cougars in the eighth and ninth innings. He allowed one run, one hit, two walks, and struck out two.
 
Offensively, Kyle Pollock (3-for-4), Trentt Copeland (2-for-5), and Jason Hockemeyer (2-for-5) led the Aces with multiple hits, as UE combined for 10 total. Kevin Kaczmarski’s two and Hockemeyer’s three runs batted in represented five of Evansville’s seven RBI in the game.
 
Never trailing in the contest, the Aces scored two runs in the first as SIUE starter Drew Staples walked the first two and hit the third batter of the game to load the bases with no outs. Pollock and Kaczmarski followed with back-to-back RBI singles for a 2-0 head start.
 
The Cougars got one run back in the bottom of the frame combining a bunt single and Devin Caldwell’s two-out RBI single through the left side. They then tied the ballgame in the fourth, drawing a leadoff walk, advanced the runner on a hit and scored on UE’s turned double play up the middle.
 
However, Evansville’s bats exploded in the sixth, as Copeland led off with 52^nd career double, moving into eighth all-time in UE’s career record book. Next, Chris Pearson walked and Hockemeyer roped his third triple of the season, scoring both runners with no outs. Eric Stamets followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, bringing in Hockemeyer and giving UE a 5-2 lead.
 
In their sixth inning at-bats, SIUE answered back with two runs, stringing three doubles together, but Evansville continued to stay out of reach as the Aces plated two runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Jake Mahon and Pollock led of the inning with a single and double, respectively, and Kaczmarski’s sac fly and Hockemeyer’s RBI single brought in the runs for a 7-4 advantage.
 
SIUE still scrapped, scoring one run in the bottom of the inning, but again UE countered in the top of the eighth as Mahon reached on a walk, moved to third on Pollock’ third hit of the day, and scored on a double steal.
 
The Cougars tried to rally with two outs in the ninth with two walks and an RBI single through the left side, but closer Johns recorded the final out to preserve the win.
 
Reliever Luke Ingersoll (0-1) took the loss for SIUE.
 
The Aces resume Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, traveling to Southern Illinois University for a three game series that begins Friday at 3:00 p.m. CT in Carbondale.