Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Logging an all-around team victory Wednesday night at Braun Stadium, the University of Evansville baseball team recorded a season-high 18 hits en route to a 12-1 win over Austin Peay. The Aces scored in every inning except the first as eight-of-nine players in the lineup tallied hits, including five multi-hit performances.

Junior Eric Stamets led Evansville with a 4-for-6 night, an RBI, three runs scored, and three stolen bases. Classmate Jason Hockemeyer also had a stellar game, belting his first home run in a Purple Aces uniform, and finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a team-high three RBI. Chris Pearson (3-for-4) and John Day (3-for-3) were also huge contributors each with an RBI and run scored, while Jake Mahon finished 2-for-2 with one RBI and two runs scored.

Sophomore Ryan Billo earned the win on the mound, improving his record to an outstanding 8-1 mark. Billo threw six innings, allowing just a solo home run, three hits, two walks, while striking out five. The Aces bullpen was a good as it gets, holding the Governors hitless and without a run through the final three innings. Jake Naumann, Zach Taylor, and Josh Biggs each hurled a frame and recorded a strikeout in the victory.

While both teams stayed off the board in the first inning, things heated up quickly as Evansville struck in the second with two runs, and went on to cross the plate at least once in each of the following frames. Hockemeyer kicked off the night with a leadoff homer over the right field wall and freshman Kyle Schwinghamer plated senior Trentt Copeland on a groundout for a 2-0 lead.

In the third, Jordan Hankins belted a two-out solo home run, representing APSU’s lone run of the game to make it a one-run contest. However, in the bottom of the inning, Day drove home Pearson on a single to center, and UE followed with a game-high three runs in the fourth, batting through the full order with three hits, two walks, two sacrifice flies and an error for a 6-1 advantage.

Stamets led off the fifth with his 17^th double of the year and scored on Mahon’s RBI single to right field. The offense continued in the sixth when Day and Stamets both singled and crossed the plate for an eight-run lead, 9-1.

Evansville tacked on a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth with four hits across the final two innings, surpassing their previous season-best 16 hits, finishing with 18.

Lucas Anderson (2-2) took the loss, throwing the first three innings, allowing three runs, five hits, and four walks. On staff day, the Govs used five bodies on the mound.

With the win, Evansville improves to 28-21 overall, matching last year’s season win total, while Austin Peay falls to 29-19.

The Aces are back in action this weekend when they travel to Missouri State for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series. Game one begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.