BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The University of Evansville baseball team was able to salvage the series finale of a three-game series at Samford on Sunday, as the Purple Aces launched four home runs to pull away from the host Bulldogs, 8-4, at Joe L. Griffin Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

 

“It was nice to finish the series on a high note today,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “We still didn’t get the start that we wanted, but I felt like our bullpen really stepped up, and guys like Zach Taylor, Seth McCabe and Sam Johns really came through today in key situations to help us pick up this win.

 

“We also had different guys up and down the lineup step up. I thought that Greg Wallace’s home run in the third inning was really the difference-maker for us today. We had just given up two runs in the second inning and Samford had the lead, but Greg came through with a huge hit there, and that really seemed to spark our offense.

 

“Now, we have to get ready for Kentucky this week. I’m sure they’ll be fired up and ready to pay us back for our win there last year. We just have to go in and try to play good, fundamental Evansville baseball and keep getting better every time we take the field.”

 

Samford drew first blood in the second inning with a pair of runs thanks to a pair of walks, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, and a throwing error by the Purple Aces. But, Evansville would answer right back with three runs in the third inning thanks to an RBI single by junior first baseman Cody Fick and a two-run home run by junior outfielder Greg Wallace.

 

Samford would tie the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning on a solo home run by sophomore outfielder Gardner Richey. Evansville would answer back with a solo home run by junior second baseman Ryan Oesterle in the fifth inning, but the Bulldogs would tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the frame.

 

UE would finally take the lead for good in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by junior outfielder Ty Legan. Fick would then add a two-run home run and sophomore Trentt Copeland would hit his first career home run in a three-run seventh inning to provide the final margin of victory.

 

Fick led Evansville by going 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI. Senior outfielder Alex Acheson also went 2-for-4 with a run scored for UE. Sophomore left-hander Seth McCabe (1-0) earned the victory in relief for UE, by scattering a pair of walks in a scoreless 1.1 innings of work.

 

With the victory, Evansville improves to 3-8 on the 2010 season. Samford, meanwhile, falls to 7-4. The Purple Aces will conclude its season-opening 13-game road trip this week, as UE will travel to Lexington, Kentucky to take on nationally-ranked Kentucky in a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both games are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. central time and can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.