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MURRAY, Ky.—The University of Evansville baseball team erupted for 16 runs from the seventh inning on on Tuesday afternoon, including scoring four runs in the ninth inning and six more in the 10th to rally for a wild 20-17 victory over the host Murray State University Thoroughbreds at Reagan Field in Murray, Kentucky.
After trailing by scores of 5-0 after one inning and 10-4 after six innings, UE scored four two-out runs in the seventh, two more two-out runs in the eighth, and four runs in the ninth inning to finally grab its first lead of the contest, 14-13. After a pair of two-strike triples in the bottom of the ninth inning by Murray State sent the game to extra-innings tied at 14-14, UE erupted for six runs in the top of the 10th inning to grab a 20-14 lead. The six runs were needed, as Murray State rallied for three runs in the bottom of the 10th inning, before senior reliever Corey Davisson finally ended the game with a ground out to short to cap UE’s wildest victory of the year.
“What a wild game,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “We didn’t start well, but our offense really came to life late, and I really have to credit the guys for battling back today offensively. We were behind the eight-ball early, being down five runs in the first inning, but the offense never quit and kept battling, and we were finally able to break through and win, which is the most important thing.
“I really can’t say enough about the game Greg Wallace had today. He was really locked in at the plate today and he was the difference for us. Greg really carried our offense early, and then other guys were able to step up and come through in key situations to help us pick up this win later in the game.”
Wallace led UE’s 23-hit attack by going 5-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored, and five RBI. Wallace began UE’s offensive attack with a three-run triple in the second inning and delivered an RBI double in UE’s four-run ninth inning and an RBI single to kick-start UE’s six-run 10th inning. Sophomore infielder Trentt Copeland also pounded out four hits, while freshman catcher John Day, junior outfielder Nate Smith, and senior outfielder Alex Acheson all had three-hit days for UE. All nine UE starters collected hits in the contest, with six players recording multi-hit contests. UE’s 20 runs are the most scored by the Purple Aces since a 20-10 victory at Saint Louis on March 21, 2007.
For Murray State, outfielder Zach Noonan went 4-for-7 with four runs scored in the lead-off spot to ignite the Thoroughbreds’ offense. Outfielder Daniel Hill and third baseman Cory Hodskins both added home runs for the Thoroughbreds, who entered the game ranked 28th nationally in scoring at over 8.5 runs per game.
With the victory, Evansville evens its record at 16-16 overall. Murray State, meanwhile, falls to 18-14 on the season with the loss. The same two teams will conclude a brief two-game home-and-home series with a 6:00 p.m. contest at UE’s Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville on Wednesday night. Wednesday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
