Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a pitcher’s duel from start to finish Friday night at Hammons Field, the University of Evansville baseball team fell, 2-0, to the Missouri State University Bears. Sophomore left-hander Cole Isom tossed a gem for Evansville, throwing all eight innings, scattering four hits with four walks, while striking out four. However, sophomore righty Nick Petree won the battle for MSU, recording nine strikeouts in eight shutout innings, limiting the Aces to three hits on the night.

Petree (10-2), who entered the game with a nation-leading 0.63 ERA, extended his scoreless inning streak to 38.0 innings and has now not allowed an earned run in 72.2 frames. Tyler Burgess tossed a perfect final inning to pick up his 11^th save of the season.
Isom (2-7) took the tough-luck loss, despite recording his third complete game of the season.

Up against one of the nation’s top pitching staffs, junior Eric Stamets, freshman Kyle Pollock, and senior Trentt Copeland combined for UE’s three hits on the evening.

In the early innings, Evansville quickly put some pressure on Petree, as Stamets and freshman Kevin Kaczmarski drew walks in the first. However, the Bears got out of the jam with a strikeout and flyout. In the second, Copeland lined a two-out single to left, but that would be UE’s first and last hit until Pollock came through with a liner in the seventh.

Missouri State broke the 0-0 stalemate in the fourth inning playing small ball. A leadoff walk, sacrifice bunt, and a single to start the frame put runners on the corners with one out. Eric Cheray’s bunt down the first base line brought home a sliding Luke Voit, despite Isom’s effort to get the runner at the plate.

The Bears added the only other run of the game in the fifth following back-to-back doubles by Kevin Medrano and Brent Seifert.
Evansville threatened in the eighth as Stamets singled to left field and Jake Mahon got hit by his 18^th pitch of the season to put runners on first and second with one out. However, Petree and Voit, behind the plate, executed the strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play to end the inning, as Stamets and Mahon were in motion.

The series continues Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT. Junior right-handers Kyle Lloyd (3-3, 3.56 ERA) and Cody Schumacher (7-0, 4.22) are scheduled to battle on the mound.