BOX SCORE

KENNESAW, Ga. – Senior Kyle Lloyd led the University of Evansville baseball team to a 8-3 win over Kennesaw State in the series finale of a three-game set Sunday afternoon in Kennesaw, Ga.  Lloyd struck out nine Owls without issuing a walk and allowed just five hits in 8.0 scoreless innings on the mound.
 
All nine hitters in the Evansville (4-9) lineup recorded a hit, as the Aces pounded out 10 hits in the victory.  Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski was the only UE player to tally multiple hits, as he finished the afternoon 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of singles and two runs scored.  Freshmen Jonathan Ramon and Shain Showers combined for five RBI on back-to-back homers in the sixth out of the eight and nine slots in Evansville’s order.
 
“This was a great win for us and will hopefully get us going in the right direction,” head coach Wes Carroll said.  “We played team baseball behind a great pitching performance from Kyle Lloyd.”
 
Lloyd improved to 2-1 on the year with his gem on the hill by allowing just seven base runners and retiring the side in order on three separate occasions.
 
After a scoreless first, the Aces took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, when senior Chris Pearson scored on what would have been a ground out off the bat of Showers, but Showers was able to reach following a throwing error by the Kennesaw State (9-6) second baseman.
 
UE added to its lead in the third, after Kaczmarski led off the frame with an infield single and later scored on a wild pitch.  Senior Jason Hockemeyer drove home Evansville’s second run of the inning and gave the Aces a 3-0 advantage with a two-out double down the left field line that plated redshirt junior Johnny Day.
 
In the top of the sixth, UE broke open the game by hanging four more runs on the KSU bullpen.  Hockemeyer started the inning by drawing a walk and moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt by Pearson, before freshman Eric McKibban was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with just one out.  Ramon cleared the bases with a three-run shot to left center and Showers followed with a solo blast to left to give Evansville a 7-0 lead and chase Owl reliever Catlan Kendrick after just a third of an inning. 
 
Day made the score 8-0 in favor of the Aces with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Kaczmarski, before KSU avoided the shutout by scoring three runs on five hits in its half of the eighth.
 
“With us having nine out of our next 10 games at home, hopefully we can get ourselves on a role,” Carroll said.
 
UE will open a six-game homestand Tuesday at 5 p.m., when it hosts Eastern Illinois at Braun Stadium.  Evansville will then play Oakland City Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting a three-game series with Purdue beginning Friday at 6 p.m.