PEORIA, Ill. – In a night featuring two pitchers duels, the University of Evansville baseball team split a doubleheader with Bradley University Saturday evening at O’Brien Field. The Aces fell, 3-2, in the series opener, but came back to win the nightcap, 6-0, as Cole Isom hurled a two-hit complete game shutout with eight strikeouts.

Isom (4-4) gave up a double to lead off the game and a single in the seventh inning, and that was all as the freshman went nine strong, including six perfect innings.

Evansville tagged three unearned runs in the first inning of game two off starter Tory Doerr. Leadoff hitter Eric Stamets reached on a fielding error by shortstop Jason Leblebijian, advanced on junior Trentt Copeland’s sacrifice bunt and scored when third baseman Rob Elliott airmailed his throw to first on Cody Fick’s groundball. Fick advanced to third on Greg Wallace’s groundout and scored on a passed ball. The Aces took advantage of Bradley’s misplays, as senior Jared Baehl, senior Nate Smith and freshman Jake Mahon hit three straight singles to keep the two-out first inning rally going, putting the Aces up 3-0 on Smith’s RBI single to the right side.

Evansville added a single run in the fifth when Smith tallied another RBI single, scoring Fick who reached on a leadoff single to left field.

Adding two in the sixth, the Aces made it 6-0 after senior Shawn Kuester reached base on a walk and advanced to second on Stamets’ single to left. Copeland knocked home Kuester on his single through the left side, and the Aces added one last run on Fick’s fielder’s choice that forced Copeland out at second but plated Stamets on the dropped pop fly behind second base.

Copeland, Baehl, and Smith all recorded two hits in the nightcap, as Evansville tallied 11 as a team.

While Isom was the star of game two, Bradley’s starting pitcher, Joe Bircher, was the star of game one. Bircher also tossed a complete game, allowing six hits, while striking out 10 in UE’s 3-2 loss. Evansville’s Kyle Lloyd also had a solid game, throwing seven strong innings, giving up five hits, three runs (two earned), and struck out four.

The clubs traded runs in the second as Baehl gave the Aces a 1-0 lead, reaching on a fielder’s choice advancing to third on a stolen base and ball thrown into centerfield, and scoring on a wild pitch. However, the Braves countered on Brian Martin’s RBI single that scored Sprout who reached on a dropped fly ball to left field, tying it 1-1.

Evansville took the lead again in the fourth with Copeland scoring on Fick’s single up the middle. Copeland hit a double to lead off the frame. However, that was all the Aces would manage off Bircher who went on to sit the Aces down in order four of the last five innings, including striking out the side in the eighth.

Lloyd (3-4) took the tough luck loss after Bradley scored the winning run in the seventh inning. David Compitello led off the frame with a bunt single, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch, and scored on a 4-3 groundout.

Sophomore Jake Naumann tossed a scoreless eighth for the Aces, giving up two hits.

Copeland tallied two hits in the first game, finishing the night with four total to lead the Aces.

Evansville and Bradley are back on the diamond tomorrow for the series finale starting at 1:00 p.m. CT.