Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the University of Evansville baseball team rallied for four runs, as senior Trentt Copeland, junior Andy Lasher, and sophomore Tim Bodine recorded three consecutive RBI singles. Reliever Josh Biggs held the Bradley University Braves off the board in the ninth, steering the Aces to a 4-2 victory Saturday afternoon at Braun Stadium.

Biggs (4-1) earned the win, allowing a run, two hits, three walks, while striking out one in the final two innings of the game. Starter Kyle Lloyd took the no-decision despite a great outing, tossing seven innings, holding the Braves to one run, five scattered hits, two walks, and struck out six.

Freshman Kevin Kaczmarski led Evansville’s offense with a 2-for-3 performance and run scored. Copeland went 1-for-4 with a team-high two RBI and added a run, as eight-of-nine players in the lineup logged hits.

Through the first six innings, neither team crossed the plate with Lloyd and Bradley starter Justin Ziegler dueling. The Braves broke the scoreless deadlock in the seventh when Jason Leblebijian doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Bradley made it a 2-0 advantage in the eighth after Greg Partyka lined home David Compitello with two outs.

However, the Aces had an answer in the bottom half of the frame. After reliever Rob Kennedy sandwiched strikeouts around Kaczmarski’s walk, Jason Hockemeyer reached on a hit by pitch, and Copeland came through in the clutch with a single to left field. Kaczmarski scored easily and Hockemeyer slid in under a tag at the plate to tie the game, 2-2. Immediately after, Lasher singled through the left side, bringing in Copeland, and Bodine followed with a high fly ball to right that was lost in the sun and fell in, allowing one last run to score.

Kennedy (0-3) took the loss, allowing four runs, two hits, a walk, and struck out two.

The Aces (26-17, 7-7 MVC) will battle Bradley (23-17-1, 6-8 MVC) Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT in the series rubber match.