Game 1 Box Score (HTML)
Game 1 Box Score (PDF)
Game 2 Box Score (HTML)
Game 2 Box Score (PDF)

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Evansville baseball team completed a weekend series sweep of visiting Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Saturday, as the Purple Aces swept a doubleheader from the Cougars at UE’s Charles H. Braun Stadium by scores of 9-2 and 9-3.

“It was a long day of baseball today, but I’m proud of the way the guys battled and competed for all 18 innings and were able to complete the doubleheader sweep,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “Some of our young pitchers really stepped to the forefront today and gave us quality innings, and offensively, we were able to get good balance in both games.

“This was a nice way to cap off one of the last weeks of play before MVC play begins next week. I think that we’ve learned a lot about our team through these first 21 games, and now, we are ready for a big test on Tuesday against nationally-ranked Louisville and then for MVC play to start next weekend at Missouri State.”

After starting the doubleheader slowly offensively, the Purple Aces broke open Saturday’s first game with eight runs from the fifth inning on to pick up the 9-2 victory. Freshman shortstop Eric Stamets opened the game by walking, advancing to second on a failed pick-off attempt, stealing third, and scoring on a sacrifice fly by junior outfielder Greg Wallace. UE would be held to just one hit through the first four innings though, as SIUE built a 2-1 lead.

Stamets would tie the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning on an RBI single off of the glove of the SIUE third baseman, before UE’s offense would take over in the sixth. UE would plate three runs in the sixth on RBI base hits by senior first baseman Tom Heithoff and junior outfielder Nate Smith to take a 5-2 lead. The Purple Aces would tack on four more in the seventh inning on an RBI triple by Wallace, an RBI double by sophomore infielder Trentt Copeland, a run-scoring wild pitch, and an RBI ground out by junior designated hitter Shawn Kuester to build the 9-2 lead. Freshman RHP Sam Johns (1-1) and junior reliever Zach Taylor would make it stand up by limiting the Cougars to two runs on four base hits.

In the nightcap, Stamets and Wallace would once again kick-start the UE offense with a run in the first inning, on a lead-off double by Stamets, a stolen base, and an RBI single by Wallace to tie the game at 1-1. Evansville would tack on single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings to build a 4-1 lead, before breaking open the contest with four runs once again in the seventh inning. Senior DH Andy Pascoe and junior infielder Ryan Oesterle would knock RBI doubles in the frame, before Smith capped the inning with a two-run single to right-field to give UE an 8-1 lead. SIUE would answer with two runs in the eighth inning against the UE bullpen, but that would be as close as the Cougars would come on the afternoon, as UE plated an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth to pick up the 9-3 victory. Freshman reliever Jake Naumann (1-2) earned his first career win with 6.0 shutout innings of three-hit relief.

On the afternoon, Wallace led Evansville offensively by going 5-for-9 with a double, a triple, three runs scored, and three RBI in the two games. Stamets also went 3-for-7 in the doubleheader with three stolen bases and three runs scored. He also tied UE’s single-game record for defensive assists in the opener with 10 helpers. The record was set by UE’s head coach Wes Carroll during the 2001 MVC Tournament.

With the doubleheader sweep, UE improves to 10-11 overall and the Purple Aces have now won seven out of the last nine games going into Tuesday’s 3:00 p.m. showdown with nationally-ranked Louisville at Braun Stadium. SIUE, meanwhile, falls to 5-15 overall with the two losses.

Evansville’s game against Louisville on Tuesday can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV and seen live on-line through AcesTV on GoPurpleAces.com