Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Just two games into the season and the University of Evansville baseball team seems to already have some sort of curse on them, as the Aces fell, 8-4, to Memphis Saturday afternoon at FedEx Field. For the second day in a row, the Aces’ starting pitcher had to leave the first inning before retiring a single out due to injury.

Senior righty Zach Taylor took a liner to the head in the first inning of Saturday afternoon’s contest at Memphis, knocking him out of the game. Taylor had runners at first and second when Jacob Wilson‘s line drive hit him in the head and bounced to the backstop, scoring two runs. Taylor was taken to the hospital to be examined for head trauma. Yesterday, the Aces’ starting hurler, Sam Johns, left the game with an arm injury in the opening frame.

Freshman Cole Isom relieved Taylor and pitched through the next five innings. The Tigers added one more run in the first on a sacrifice fly to give Memphis a 3-0 head start.

Senior Greg Wallace led off the third inning with a double to left-center and scored on junior Trentt Copeland’s double to opposite field to cut the deficit to two. However, in the bottom of the frame, the Tigers countered with three more runs on three hits.

The Aces rallied in the sixth with sophomore Eric Stamets and Wallace hitting back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Copeland’s second double of the afternoon brought in the two, making the score 6-3.

Memphis’ Phillip Chapman led off the bottom half with a double off Isom and scored on Bryan Picou’s single. Freshman Tyler Miller came out of the bullpen to finish off the inning. In his collegiate debut, Isom allowed eight hits, four runs, and two walks, two hit-batters, while striking out three in 5.0 innings of work.

The clubs traded runs in the seventh, each tallying one. Freshman Brett Wiley scored on a wild pitch reaching on a walk and making his way around the bases on two fielder’s choices. In the bottom of the frame, Miller walked the leadoff and Chapman hit him home on a single to right field for the final run of the game.

Sophomore Adam Culiver pitched a scoreless, hitless eighth for the Aces, coming in for Miller. Miller allowed four hits, a run, a walk, and struck out one in two innings.

Taylor (0-1) took the loss, while southpaw Ryan Holland (1-0) earned the win for the Tigers, throwing 6.1 innings.

Copeland led the Aces’ bats, going 2-for-4 with three runs batted in, while Wallace also had two hits and scored two runs.

The Aces wrap up the three-game series with Memphis tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. CST. Sophomore Kyle Lloyd will be on the mound.