BOX SCORE

NORMAL, Ill. – The University of Evansville baseball team opened its final Missouri Valley Conference series of the season with a 3-2 victory over Illinois State Friday night at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill.  Senior pitcher Josh Biggs earned his first win of the season by striking out a career-high nine Redbirds in his 6.0 innings on the mound.
 
Freshmen Jonathan Ramon and Shain Showers led Evansville (21-29, 10-8 MVC) to its fifth-straight win, as the duo finished 4-for-7 at the plate with two RBI.  Redshirt junior Nick Hathcoat drove in the other run for the Aces, as he went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.
 
Biggs moved his record to 1-2 this season with the victory, as he scattered six hits over his 6.0 innings of work and allowed just two runs.  Redshirt junior Sam Johns provided two scoreless innings of relief, while senior Jake Naumann came on in the ninth to record his eighth save of the season.
 
UE manufactured a run in the top of the second to take an early 1-0 lead over Illinois State (31-18, 11-5 MVC), as Showers and redshirt sophomore Kyle Pollock led off the frame with back-to-back singles and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by senior Andy Lasher.  Hathcoat scored Showers with a fly ball to short right field, but Pollock was thrown out trying to advance to third to end the inning.
 
Evansville plated two more runs with a two-out rally in the third to extend its lead to 3-0.  Senior Jason Hockemeyer singled up the middle, before stealing second and scoring on a single by Ramon.  Showers capped the inning with an RBI double to left that brought Ramon in front second.
 
The Redbirds threated in their half of the fourth, as they put runners on the corners with just one out, but Biggs worked out of the jam by striking out Daniel Dwyer, before Pearson fired down to second to catch Brock Stewart trying to swipe second to end the inning.
 
ISU would get a pair of runs back in its half of the fifth to cut UE’s advantage to 3-2.  Eric Aguilera drove in Illinois State’s first run with a single to left to score Chad Hinshaw and Mike Hollenbeck plated the second with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left that allowed Zac Johnson to score.
 
Evansville would threaten again in the top of the sixth, as the Aces loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and a pair of walks, but Redbird starter Chris Razo was able to work out of the jam and keep UE off the scoreboard.
 
After ISU’s two-run fifth, Evansville pitchers allowed just three more Redbird base runners, as Biggs sat down ISU in order in the sixth, before Johns worked a scoreless seventh and pitched around a leadoff walk in the eighth, and Naumann closed it out in the ninth after surrendering a leadoff single.
 
Razo allowed three runs on six hits, struck out three and walked five in his 8.0 innings of work, as he suffered just his first loss of the season, falling to 6-1.
 
The Aces and Redbirds will continue the series tomorrow at 2 p.m., as UE will send Kyle Lloyd to the mound against ISU’s Dan Savas.