Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time since the 2006 season, the University of Evansville baseball team captured the series over Wichita State, overcoming the Shockers, 5-4, Saturday afternoon at Braun Stadium. The Aces broke a four-all stalemate in the bottom of the eighth on Jason Hockemeyer’s RBI single up the middle with no outs, and closer Josh Biggs held off WSU in the final frame to secure UE’s 22^nd victory of the year.

Reliever Zach Taylor (3-2) earned the win, tossing the seventh and eighth innings, allowing no runs, just one hit, a walk, and struck out one. Biggs captured his fifth save of the season, throwing a scoreless ninth. Starter Kyle Lloyd hurled six innings for the Aces, but left the game in a no-decision position with the score tied, 4-4. He allowed four hits, three walks, and struck out three.

Offensively, Jake Mahon, Kevin Kaczmarski, and Hockemeyer led Evansville, all going 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI.

Wichita State took its first lead of the series in the top of the first when Johnny Coy brought home Kevin Hall on a double to the left-centerfield gap.

However, the Aces answered back in the bottom of the second after Hockemeyer doubled with one out, and scored after Wichita State starter Mitch Mormann walked the bases loaded and issued a balk.

Evansville took the lead in the third, 3-1, as Mahon led off with a single up the middle and crossed the plate on Kaczmarski’s triple down the right field line. Junior Chris Pearson brought home the freshman centerfielder from third on a groundout to short for a two-run advantage.

The Shockers responded immediately with three quick runs in the fourth, stringing together a triple, double, and single, consecutively off Lloyd, with two outs to steal a 4-3 lead.

Battling, Evansville evened the score once again in the fifth, sparked by Eric Stamets’ leadoff walk. After moving up on a wild pitch, Mahon lined a single to right field, bringing home the junior shortstop for a 4-4 tie.

Wichita State threatened to take the lead in the eighth, leading off with Hall’s bloop double, but second baseman Trentt Copeland’s heads-up play on a ground ball, threw out Hall at the plate for the second out. Taylor ended the inning on a fly ball to left, leaving the frame unharmed.

In the bottom of the inning, Kaczmarski’s perfectly placed bunt down the third base line resulted in a single. Pearson followed with a sacrifice bunt, but reliever Cale Elam attempted to get the lead runner at second, and threw the ball wild into centerfield, allowing Kaczmarski to move up to third. That is when Hockemeyer came through with the go-ahead RBI single up the middle for a 5-4 lead.

In the ninth, pinch hitter Micah Green singled with one-out, but Biggs forced Ryan Hege into a line out to short and Stamets fired over to first for the game-ending, bang-bang, double play.

Elam (2-3) took the loss for WSU, throwing just the eighth inning, allowing a run, two hits, and struck out one.

The Aces (22-13, 6-5 MVC) look to wrap up the series with a sweep over Wichita State (21-17, 4-4 MVC) Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT.