Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Evansville baseball team dropped its final game of the three-game series, 11-6, against Bradley on Sunday at Charles H. Braun Stadium. Bradley took the series, 2-1, and improved to 8-9, while the Aces fell to 2-17 on the season.

 

Sophomore Mark Obenchain got into an early jam in the first inning. With runners at first and third, Obenchain walked Bradley’s Colby Luttrell to load the bases with only one out. Obenchain was able to get out of the inning without any damage, getting Rob Elliott to ground one of the Aces’ three double plays in the game.

 

The Aces got on the board first with a leadoff home run by Greg Wallace on the first pitch he saw from Bradley’s Collin Brennan. The Aces would tack on two more runs in the first off a hard-hit ball by Andy Smith that bounced over the shoulder of the shortstop into left field to score Derek Melton and Shawn Kuester.

 

Bradley answered with five runs in the top of the fourth inning. After walking the first two men in the inning, Obenchain was able to get Mike Brumleve to fly out. Elliott drove in the Braves’ first run of the game with an RBI single through the left side of the infield to cut the Aces’ lead to two. Corey Davisson then came into pitch for the Aces after Obenchain walked Matt Fritz to load the bases. Davisson was greeted with a two-run double from Dan Brewer to tie the game. Davisson then gave up a two-run single to Grant Escue to make it 5-3.

 

Bradley added four runs in the sixth inning to make it 9-4. The Aces were able to bridge the gap to 9-6 with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. After two were out, Melton and Andy Smith hit back-to-back singles and Ryan Fleming walked to load the bases. Nate Smith picked up two RBI with a single that scored Melton and Smith.

 

Bradley would add two more runs in the ninth to win the game by a score of 11-6. Obenchain would take the loss, going three and one-third innings and giving up four earned runs on four hits and four walks. Davisson only lasted one-third of an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Ryan Kussmaul, Dan Holcomb, and Matthew Page all pitched in relief in the game.

 

Lendsey Thomson picked up the win pitching a scoreless inning of relief in the fifth.

 

Nate Smith led the Aces at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Derek Melton was 3-for-4 with two runs scored as the designated hitter. Greg Wallace had two hits in the game, while Andy Smith and Kuester accounted for the other two of the Aces’ ten hits.

 

The Aces (2-17, 1-2) will return to play on Tuesday when Western Kentucky comes to Evansville for a single game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Charles H. Braun Stadium.