EVANSVILLE – An early surge proved more than enough for the University of Evansville baseball program on Wednesday evening as the Purples Aces picked up a 5-1 victory in a rain-shortened seven innings against crosstown rival Southern Indiana.
With the win, the Aces put the brakes on a five-game losing skid to improve to 9-20. USI, meanwhile, dropped to 12-14.
Travis Tokarek fired the opening salvo in the contest with a first-inning blast to right, and singles from Stewart Nelson and Brendan Krob later in the frame gave the Aces all they would need offensively.
Tokarek, who ended 1-for-4 on the day, has now hit a team-best five home runs on the year, which is also four more than he had in his first two years in Evansville combined.
Trey Hair picked up his fourth homer in the season with a lead-off shot in the third, and a throwing error in the fifth resulted in another score for the Aces. For the game, the Aces out-hit the visitors from the West Side 8-1.
On the mound, Alex Weigand was in control for much of the night, tossing six one-hit frames with three strikeouts. Austin Allinger, who entered the game with two runners on in the seventh, struck out a pair of batters to pick up his first career save.
USI would score an unearned run in the fifth as Joe Redburn hit into a double play. Drake McNamara finished with the lone Screaming Eagle hit on the night, and Nick Gobert, who tossed the first two innings of the game, dropped to 0-1 on the year.
UE will return to action on Friday as the team is set to kick off a three-game set with Indiana State at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
NOTES: UE has now won three straight contests with USI … Since 1978, the Aces are 17-10 against the Screaming Eagles … UE is 219-167 all-time against Indiana opponents … Since 1987, the Aces are 10-17 on April 5 and 329-278 in the month of April … With a pair of singles on Wednesday, Andrew Tanous extended his on-base streak to 17 games, which is the best such mark for an Aces hitter this season.
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