BOX SCORE

PEORIA, Ill. – The University of Evansville baseball team built an early 4-0 lead, but Bradley scored eight of the game’s final nine runs to post an 8-5 victory and prevent a Purple Aces’ sweep Sunday afternoon at Peoria Chiefs Stadium in Peoria, Ill.
 
“We have to take a lot of positives out of this weekend,” head coach Wes Carroll said.  “To win on the road in this conference is tough and for us to take two out of three is fantastic.  We played good baseball Friday and Saturday, but today, I don’t feel like we played our best.”
 
Brady Wilkin drove in the game-winning run for Bradley (10-13, 1-2 MVC) with a two-out double down the left field line that capped a four-run bottom of the eighth for the Braves and the BU pitching staff held Evansville (11-16, 3-3 MVC) scoreless over the final five innings, as the Aces stranded 10 in the contest.

Senior Chris Pearson went 2-for-5 with an RBI for UE, while redshirt junior Nick Hathcoat finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.  Senior Jason Hockemeyer, junior David Patton and redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski each drove in a run for Evansville offensively.
 
Freshman reliever Brent Jurceka (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound, as he allowed three runs on four hits in his 1.2 innings on the mound.  Aces’ starter Sam Johns did not factor into the decision, after tossing 4.0 innings and allowing two runs on six this, while tallying two strikeouts without a walk.
 
UE scored two runs on just one hit in the top of the first, as Patton and junior Jake Mahon both reached via walk, before coming around to score.  Pearson drove in Patton with a two-out single up the middle and Mahon was able to score in the play following an error by the Bradley center fielder.
 
Evansville put up two more runs in its half of the second to extend its lead to 4-0, as Patton plated redshirt sophomore Kyle Pollock with a sacrifice fly to center and Kaczmarski came through with a two-out single through the left side that allowed freshman Shain Showers to touch home.
 
The Braves answered with a run in their half of the second, when Greg Partyka belted a double to center and scored on Derek Sprout’s one-out, RBI single up the middle. 
 
In the fourth, the Aces once again got a two-out hit to drive in a run and pushed their lead to 5-1.  Hathcoat led off the frame with a single to center, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Hockemeyer’s two-out single up the middle.
 
BU once again responded by scoring a run of its own in the bottom of the fourth on a ground out by Max Murphy and began its comeback with a single run in the bottom of the sixth on Sprout’s sacrifice fly that allowed Mike Tauchman to tag and score from third.
 
Bradley plated another run in the seventh to cut UE’s advantage to 5-4, before erupting for four runs in the bottom of the eighth.  Jurceka got the first out of the inning by retiring Partyka, but Murphy promptly tied the game with a solo homer to deep center.  With two outs in the inning, the Braves chased Jurceka with a two-out single from Isaac Smith and senior Jake Naumann came out of the bullpen for Evansville.  Naumann hit the first batter he faced before surrendering back-to-back hits, including Wilkin’s two-run double to left that gave BU its first lead of the series at 7-5.  A fielding error would result in Bradley’s final run and the Aces went in order in the top of the ninth to close the game.
 
Redshirt junior Johnny Day extended his on-base streak to 35 games with a double down the left field line in the third and junior Tyler Miller worked 2.0 innings of relief for UE, allowing one run on three hits.
 
Evansville will return to the diamond for a pair of midweek games against UT Martin and Belmont Tuesday and Wednesday, before returning to Missouri Valley Conference action next weekend against Southern Illinois.  The Aces will host the Skyhawks Tuesday at 6 p.m., before traveling to Nashville, Tenn., for a 6 p.m. matchup with the Bruins on Wednesday.