BOX SCORE

NORMAL, Ill. – Senior Josh Biggs allowed two runs in the top of the first, before holding Missouri State scoreless for the next seven innings to lead the University of Evansville baseball team to a 4-2 win in an elimination game Thursday afternoon at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Normal, Ill.
 
Evansville (24-33) got multiple hits from three different players in the victory, as senior Chris Pearson, who went hitless in the first two games of the MVC Tournament, broke out with a 3-for-4 effort and scored a pair of runs.  Junior Jake Mahon finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while freshman Shain Showers also completed the afternoon 2-for-4. 
 
Biggs has now earned wins in three-straight decisions, as he improved to 3-2 on the year.  The senior left-hander allowed just two runs in seven hits and struck out three, while walking two.  Fellow senior Jake Naumann closed out the victory, tossing a scoreless ninth to notch his ninth save of the season.
 
Missouri State (31-23) quickly took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, as Biggs issued a one-out walk to Eric Cheray, before Spencer Johnson followed with a single through the right side.  Two batters later, Keenen Maddox came through with a two-out single for the Bears to plate both runners.
 
The Aces got a run back in their half of the first on an RBI by senior Jason Hockemeyer.  Pearson set up the run by reaching on a one-out walk and advancing to third on a single by Mahon.  Pearson scored on a ground ball by Hockemeyer that was misplayed by the MSU first baseman, but Missouri State starter Andy Cheray held UE to just the one run by pitching out of the jam and the Bears led 2-1 after the first inning.
 
Both pitchers settled in during the middle innings, as the score remained 2-1, until the bottom of the fifth.  Pearson led off the frame with a single and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch.  After Hockemeyer was hit by a pitch, freshman Jonathan Ramon tied the game with an RBI single to shallow right to plate Pearson.  Cheray then loaded the bases by hitting redshirt junior Johnny Day with a pitch, marking his fourth hit batter of the contest.  With one out and the bases loaded, Erik Shannahan quickly recorded the second out with a strikeout, but redshirt sophomore Kyle Pollock was able to coax a bases-loaded walk, after falling behind in the count 0-2, to give UE at 3-2 lead.
 
Biggs allowed just one Missouri State hitter to reach in his final four innings of work and Evansville was able to manufacture an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski extended his on-base streak to 35 games with a one-out double, before advancing to third on Pearson’s third single of the afternoon and scoring on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Mahon to extend the Aces’ margin to 4-2.
 
Naumann came on in the ninth and ran into a bit of trouble, as he issued a one-out walk to Koby Peebles and Conner Wilson reached on an error to put the tying run aboard.  Naumann finished off the Bears by getting Travis McComack to fly out to center, before striking out Dylan Becker to end the game.
 
Maddox led Missouri State’s offense with two hits and a pair of RBI and Cheray finished his 2013 campaign with a 1-5 record, as he allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits in his 4.1 innings of work.
 
With the win, Evansville advances to play Illinois State Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.  The Aces will have to defeat the Redbirds twice to advance to Saturday’s championship game.  A win tonight for UE would force a second game between the two teams that would take place Friday.