Box Score

WICHITA, Kansas – With near 45 mph winds blowing out to right field, and trailing 8-5, senior Cody Fick belted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give the University of Evansville baseball team the lead for good over Missouri Valley Conference foe Wichita State, Friday night at Eck Stadium. The Aces were able to hold off a ninth inning rally by the Shockers to win, 12-11.

With the victory, Evansville improved to 19-12 on the season and 1-3 in the MVC, while WSU fell to 21-16 overall and 1-3 in conference.

Fick led the squad with three hits, six runs batted in, and a run scored, while seniors Greg Wallace, Ryan Oesterle, and Jared Baehl all tallied two hits each. Oesterle recorded his fifth home run of the season, as well, finishing with two RBI.

Evansville struck in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead when sophomore Eric Stamets and Wallace led off the game with back-to-back singles off starter Josh Smith and double stole second and third to reach scoring position for Fick. Stamets crossed the plate on Fick’s fielder’s choice and Baehl knocked home Wallace on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Evansville stretched its lead to 3-0 in the second inning as senior Nate Smith came around to score on a fielding error by the third baseman after reaching on a walk.

However, the Shockers answered with an unearned run off right-handed pitcher Kyle Lloyd who gave up a lead-off single up the middle to Johnny Coy. Coy scored on a pass ball to make the score 3-1.

Wichita State continued its rally in the third with five runs on six hits and an error, as things appeared to get out of hand for the Aces, quickly falling behind, 6-3. With one out, the Shockers were able to string together a single and an error to score one, before Wichita tallied four straight hits with two outs, including a double by Don Lambert down the right field line and a ball that deflected off Lloyd on the mound that scored two, as the luck was in the hands of the Shockers.

Scoring two more in the fourth, the momentum continued to be in favor for the home team. With two runners on, reaching on a single and hit by pitch, Chris O’Brien doubled down the right field line to stretch the Shockers’ lead to five runs.

However, the momentum quickly shifted in favor of the Aces in the fifth inning, as Wallace doubled to right and was brought around on Oesterle’s two-out homer to make the score 8-5.

In the rollercoaster ride of a game, the Aces batted around the order in the sixth starting with sophomore Chris Pearson’s one-out walk and advancement to second on a failed pickoff attempt by reliever Grant Muncrief. Senior Ty Legan singled and Stamets walked to load the bases. With two outs, Fick hit what looked like a routine fly ball to right field, but the incredible wind that gusted all game long carried the ball out of the park for four Evansville runs. Oesterle followed with a single on the next pitch, while Baehl and Copeland capped the rally with an RBI double and single, respectively, making the score 11-8.

Evansville added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on Fick’s RBI double that scored Pearson, which turned out to be a much needed run for the Aces.

After relieving Lloyd to start the bottom of the sixth inning, freshman James Kohler mowed through the Shockers’ batting order, giving up just two scattered hits in three innings and did not allow a runner past first base. Kohler went back out on the mound for the ninth, facing the order for a second time. After getting the leadoff out, O’Brien belted a solo home run to centerfield. Coy followed with a single, and the designated hitter, Preston Springer made it a one-run game with a two-run dinger just over the right field wall. However, the freshman bared down to get a groundball out to short and Fick played hero once again with a diving grab at third to end the game and seal UE’s first MVC victory of the season.

Lloyd (3-3) earned the win, throwing five innings, allowing eight runs, seven earned, ten hits, a walk, while striking out one. Kohler picked up his first career save, hurling the final four innings, giving up three runs on five hits, and striking out two.

The Aces continue the three-game series with Wichita State tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. CT. Lefty Cole Isom is scheduled to duel with fellow southpaw Charlie Lowell.