Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Junior Jake Mahon knocked in four runs while junior starting pitcher Ryan Billo tossed five shutout innings to lead the Purple Aces baseball team to a 9-0 win over Oakland City on Wednesday evening at Braun Stadium.
 
Mahon went 3-5 with 4 RBIs and three runs score to lead the Aces (6-9) to the win.  He registered three of UE’s six hits on the night.  Kevin Kaczmarski and Chris Pearson scored two runs apiece.  Leading Oakland City (4-11) was first baseman Chaz Ferguson, who recorded two out of the five hits for the Mighty Oaks.
 
“It is nice to win our third in a row,” head coach Wes Carroll said.  “Jake (Mahon) did a great job for our offense while (Ryan) Brillo did well getting ahead of the batters; now we have to get ready for a big weekend with Purdue coming in.”
 
Mahon was the first Ace to reach base with a hit in the first while the first Oakland City threat came in the second as Chaz Ferguson and Logan Mohr recorded back-to-back hits with one out.  Billo clamped down, registering a strikeout before getting A.J. Beach to ground out and end the threat.
 
Following a scoreless 2 ½ innings, Evansville plated six runs in the bottom of the third.  With one out, Mahon hit a single to left field to score Kaczmarski.  After the Aces loaded up the bases, Kyle Pollock was hit by a pitch and Pearson drew a walk as two more runs scored.
 
An error by OCU first baseman Ferguson allowed two more runs to score before Jonathan Ramon completed the six-spot with an RBI groundout.
 
Evansville had three more runs cross the plate in the bottom of the eighth, all coming off the bat of Mahon.  Pearson singled to begin the inning before two more reached via a hit batter and walk. With two outs, Mahon crushed the ball to right center for a bases clearing triple to put UE up 9-0.
 
That would be the final as the Aces pitching staff finished off the shutout.  Brillo went five scoreless to take his first win of the season.  James Kohler, Connor Strain and Forrest Herrmann each posted a hitless inning with the only baserunner being a walk by Strain.  Josh Biggs threw a scoreless night, giving up the first hit in four innings of work by the bullpen.
 
OCU starter Trent Benningfield was tagged with the loss, dropping him to a 1-3 mark on the year.  He went 2 2/3 innings allowing six runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks.  Dalton McCool gave up three runs in the eighth on a pair of hits and a pair of walks.
 
This weekend, Evansville will host the defending Big Ten champions as the Purdue Boilermakers come to town for a 3-game set.  The action at Braun Stadium commences on Friday at 6 p.m. with Saturday’s game set for 2 p.m. and Sunday’s finale slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.