BOX SCORE

NORMAL, Ill. – The University of Evansville baseball team suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in its Missouri Valley Conference Tournament opener Tuesday night at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill., as No. 4 seed Missouri State scored both of its runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with the victory.
 
Evansville (22-33) scored its lone run in the top of the first inning, when senior Jason Hockemeyer drove in redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski, who led off the game with a double to the gap in left center, with a two-out single back up the middle.
 
Seven Aces recorded hits in the contest, with Kaczmarski leading UE by going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.  Hockemeyer finished 1-for-4 with the lone RBI for Evansville, while freshman Shain Showers finished 1-for-4 with a double.
 
Senior Kyle Lloyd made the Aces’ lone run stand up until the bottom of the ninth, when Missouri State (31-21) was able to push the game-winning runs across.  Lloyd allowed two runs, one earned, on just four hits in his 8.2 innings of work, while striking out five and walking four.
 
UE had its chances to add to its lead, as it stranded eight base runners, including six in scoring position.  Evansville’s best chance came in the sixth, when junior Jake Mahon led off the inning with an infield single, before being retired on an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt by Hockemeyer.  Mahon was then caught stealing for the second out of the inning, before freshman Jonathan Ramon drew a two-out walk and redshirt junior Johnny Day singled.  MSU starter Nick Petree got out of the jam by striking out redshirt sophomore Kyle Pollock to end the inning.
 
Lloyd also worked out of jams in the fifth and seventh, before Missouri State’s two-run ninth.  Tate Matheny coaxed a walk to start the rally and Spencer Johnson followed with a single to put runners on first and second with no outs.  Back-to-back errors allowed Matheny to score and loaded the bases for the Bears.  Lloyd was able to get Conor Smith to ground out to third for the first out of the frame, before Travis McComack ended the game with a sacrifice fly to left, allowing Luke Voit to tag and score from third without a throw.
 
Evansville will attempt to rebound and keep its season alive tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., when it takes on the loser of the Illinois State/Bradley game.