Live Game Stats For The Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic

Due to expected rain showers on Friday morning in the Evansville area, the first day of the 2008 Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic has been pushed back two hours to avoid rain delays.  The Diamond Classic will now begin at 1:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon with North Dakota State battling Central Michigan, while Evansville will take on Cleveland State now at 5:00 p.m. central time.

The schedules for both Saturday and Sunday remain the same:  an 11:00 a.m. first game and UE taking the diamond in game two each day at 3:00 p.m.  Should weather interfere with the weekend’s plans, updates will be available on-line at www.gopurpleaces.com.

Evansville will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak on Friday against Cleveland State, after the Purple Aces dropped an 8-5 decision to Lipscomb on Wednesday night.  Freshman infielder Brian Robinson once again found the settings of Braun Stadium to his liking, as he went 3-for-5 with an RBI double to pace the Purple Aces’ attack, but five unearned runs were too much to overcome for UE.  Robinson has opened his home career at Evansville hitting .625 (5-for-8)?with a pair of doubles in his first two games at Braun Stadium.  Overall, he ranks second on the team in hitting at .348.

Cleveland State will bring a 3-6 overall record into Friday’s game after winning two out of three games at Morehead State mid-week.  The Vikings launched four home runs in an 11-4 victory at Morehead State on Wednesday, and CSU has already connected on nine home runs in the first nine games of the year.

North Dakota State will enter Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic play at 0-6 on the year after getting swept in three-game series at Oklahoma and Kansas.  Central Michigan, meanwhile, stands at 3-9 on the year after going 2-6 on a week-long trip to Florida last week.  The Chippewas have won two of their last three games, led by the hot hitting of senior outfielder Tyler Stovall, who will bring a .412 average, one home run, 12 RBI, and seven stolen bases in seven attempts to Braun Stadium.