Box Score

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Aces’ offense exploded in the third inning, scoring 13 runs, including back-to-back home runs by seniors Greg Wallace and Cody Fick, as the University of Evansville baseball team went on to defeat Austin Peay, 24-3, Tuesday night in Clarksville, Tenn. The Aces improved to 16-9 with the win, while Austin Peay fell to 12-14.

Evansville tagged the Governors for 20 hits, including seven doubles and four home runs; two for Fick, and one each for Wallace and senior Ryan Oesterle. Sophomore Eric Stamets, senior Jared Baehl, and Fick led the Aces with three hits apiece, as seven players recorded multi-hit games. The Aces also tallied a season-high 18 RBI, led by Wallaces’ four.

“It was great to have a strong offensive night with big blasts from Fick, Wallace, and Oesterle,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll. “We had contributions from a lot of players and it was nice to get ahead and put the game away in the third inning.”

The Governors got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame with a single run, but Evansville responded with two in the second on Oesterle’s leadoff home run and senior Ty Legan’s RBI single that scored Baehl, taking a 2-1 lead.

The Aces nearly batted around the order twice in the third inning, while all nine starting players in the order crossed the plate in the frame. Stamets started it all with a double to left field, and Wallace and Fick followed with consecutive blasts over the outfield wall. Rattled, the APSU pitching staff walked or hit the next six batters, bringing in three more runs. Back up again, Stamets singled, plating two, and Wallace reached on an error. On a wild pitch, Stamets scored the Aces’ 10^th run of the inning before recording a single out. Junior Trentt Copeland and freshman Jake Mahon capped the huge inning with back-to-back doubles that plated three more, giving Evansville a commanding 15-1 advantage.

UE added six runs in the fifth on five hits and an error.  A dropped fly ball scored Baehl, who led off with a walk, and Copeland, who doubled to left field to reach base, before Stamets and Wallace hit consecutive doubles as well. Fick then belted his second home run of the contest and his fifth of the season to put the Aces up 21-1.

Austin Peay tallied a run in the bottom of the sixth and another in the seventh, but those were just scratches as the Aces extended their lead to 21 with a run in the seventh and two in the top of the ninth.

Freshman Ryan Billo (2-0) earned his second win in two starts on the mound, throwing five innings, allowing a run on five scattered hits, while striking out five. Classmates Sam Bohon and Tyler Miller split the remaining innings, as Bohon allowed two runs on four hits, and a walk, while striking out two. Miller pitched a perfect eighth and ninth innings, striking out four-of-six batters faced.

 “On the mound, Billo finished with a good line, and it is nice to see our young pitchers developing,” said Carroll.

The Aces are back in action tomorrow, when they host SIU-Edwardsville at 6:00 p.m. CDT at Braun Stadium.