Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Enduring a 45 minute rain delay to start the game, a 48 minute postponement due to a campus lockdown in the bottom of the eighth, and 11 innings of baseball, the University of Evansville overcame the visiting University of Dayton Flyers, 7-6, Friday night at Braun Stadium. Junior Chris Pearson drove in the winning run with a double down the right field line, scoring pinch runner Michael Eckstein and breaking the 6-6 stalemate that stood since the top of the eighth.

With the victory, the Aces improve to 24-14 on the season, while the Flyers fall to 17-22.

Junior lefty Josh Biggs (3-1) earned the win, coming out of the bullpen in the 10^th, getting Evansville out of a bases loaded jam with a double play ball. Biggs was perfect in his one and two thirds innings of work. Starter Cole Isom went six and two thirds frames, allowing five runs, 13 hits, and struck out two. Zach Taylor and James Kohler made middle relief appearances.

Junior Jason Hockemeyer (3-for-4) and senior Trentt Copeland (3-for-5) led the Aces’ offense with three hits apiece, while Eric Stamets and Pearson also recorded multi-hit games with two each.

The Aces struck first in the bottom of the first, as Stamets singled to lead off and Mahon doubled down the right field line for a quick 1-0 head start.

Dayton stole the advantage in the fourth, stringing together a leadoff triple and back-to-back singles for the 2-1 lead.

However, Evansville quickly countered with a run in the bottom half of the frame, combing three consecutive singles by Pearson, Hockemeyer, and Copeland to load the bases. With one out, Andy Lasher’s sacrifice fly to left field brought home a tagging Pearson.

In the fifth, the Aces took a 6-2 advantage with four runs on four hits and an error. Jake Mahon led off with a walk and freshman Kyle Pollock extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single up the middle. Pearson’s groundout and Hockemeyer’s single to left brought home two runs, and Copeland kept the rally going with a bloop single to center with two outs. A wild throw to third allowed Hockemeyer to score on the play. Lasher capped the inning with an RBI single to center, plating Copeland.

The Flyers fought back in the seventh, stringing four singles together for three runs, and Dayton tied the game, 6-6, in the eighth with one run on a fielder’s choice play at the plate.

In the bottom of the frame, Evansville started to rally as Tim Bodine singled up the middle and Stamets moved the runner into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. However, that is when the stadium received word that the campus was in lockdown due to a suspect in the area. After evacuating the field, play resumed 48 minutes later. Bodine stole third, but Flyers’ reliever Burny Mitchem quickly quashed the rally, pitching around Mahon, and recording two strikeouts to end the side.

Leading off the 11^th, Pollock reached on an error, and pinch runner Eckstein moved to second on Kaczmarski’s sac bunt, setting up Pearson’s heroics.

Mitchem (2-5) took the loss, tossing the final 3.1 innings.

The Aces are back in action Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT, looking to secure the series win over Dayton.