Box Score (HTML)
NORMAL, Ill. – John Foley struck out a career high eight batters to lead the University of Evansville baseball team to an 8-5 victory over the host Illinois State University Redbirds at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill.
With the win, Evansville improves to 7-10 overall and 1-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Illinois State falls to 9-6 and 1-1 in the MVC.
Foley (2-0) scattered nine hits over 7 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and no walks while striking out eight. Evansville trailed for much of the game, but plated six runs on six hits in the eighth inning to pull ahead for good.
The Purple Aces jumped out quickly on Saturday, tallying a single run in the first inning. Third baseman Cody Fick led off the game with a double down the left field line and would be brought home two batters later by first baseman Andy Pascoe, who doubled into the left-center field gap.
Illinois State responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a pair of runs. With two outs, second baseman Evan Stalowy and first baseman Evan Kohli hit back-to-back home runs off of Foley to take a 2-1 lead.
“Today’s game really shows Foley’s character,” said head coach Wes Carroll. “To bounce back [from the back-to-back home runs] and go 7 2/3 innings strong is what we have seen from Foley his entire career at Evansville.
“Foley kept us in the game so that we could comeback and win late.”
UE tied the score in the fifth without recording a hit, thanks to the speed of senior centerfielder Jim Viscomi. Viscomi drew a walk off of Illinois State started Ryan Copeland (2-2) and proceeded to steal second base. While on the way to third base, the throw by Redbird catcher Matt Mirabal sailed over the head of the third baseman and into left field, allowing Viscomi to score.
The game stayed locked at 2-2 until the eighth when designated hitter Greg Wallace led off the inning by dragging a bunt down the first base line for a single. Wallace would steal second and move up to third base on a groundout by Pascoe. After an intentional walk to right fielder Nate Smith and a pitch finding the back of left fielder Alex Acheson, freshman second baseman Trentt Copeland came to plate with the bases loaded and one out.
Copeland hit a ball high into center field that seemed to be destined to plate just Wallace on a sacrifice fly, but ISU center fielder Tyler McNeely over ran the ball, which fell in front of the fielder, allowing Wallace and Smith to score. That brought shortstop Peter Tountas to the plate, who sent a ball through the left side of the infield to plate Acheson and Copeland. After a strikeout of catcher Andrew Gher, a string of three straight singles by Viscomi, Fick and Wallace continued the inning, which would end on a fielder’s choice groundout by Pascoe. In all, the Aces brought 11 batters to the plate in the eighth.
Illinois State threatened the UE lead in the eighth, plating three runs in all. Purple Aces’ closer Tom Heithoff entered the game with two out and runners on first and second, one day after allowing the winning run to score in the tenth inning. Heithoff walked the first batter he faced in the inning to load the bases, but caught yesterday’s hero for the Redbirds Corey Maines looking for a strikeout to end the inning. Heithoff would stay in the game for the ninth, picking up his third save of the season.
Evansville utilized a balanced offensive attack on Saturday, with seven players recording a hit and seven players scoring a run in the game.
The rubber match between the Purple Aces and the Redbirds will take place Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. The game can be heard live following the completion of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game between Evansville and Texas A&M on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
