BOX SCORE

NORMAL, Ill. – The University of Evansville baseball team saw its season come to an end at the hands of Illinois State Thursday night, as the Purple Aces fell, 5-3, in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill.
 
Senior Andy Lasher drove in a pair of runs for Evansville (24-34) with an RBI single and an RBI ground out, while fellow senior Jason Hockemeyer and redshirt sophomore Kyle Pollock closed the night by going 2-for-4 at the plate.
 
Junior Cole Isom turned in a valiant effort for the Aces on the mound, as he tossed 7.2 strong innings in a losing effort.  Isom allowed just two earned runs on seven hits and struck out four, as he dropped to 4-6 on the year.  Redshirt junior Sam Johns and senior Jake Naumann combined to toss 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
 
Isom was able to work out of a jam in the top of the third, which proved to be the best scoring opportunity for either team in the early going.  Paul DeJong drew a leadoff walk to start the inning, before Sean Beesley reached on a sacrifice bunt attempt, after Isom tried to retire the lead runner in DeJong and committed a throwing error that allowed DeJong to reach third with no outs.  Isom got out of the jam, when UE cut down DeJong at the plate trying to score on a squeeze play, prior to turning an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.
 
After Evansville stranded a pair on the base paths in the bottom of the fourth, the Redbirds broke through by scoring three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-0 lead.  Brock Stewart started the rally with a single to right, before Beesley beat Johnny Day to the bag at first base for a single on a bunt attempt to put runners at first and second with just one out.  Stewart scored the first run of the game, when Brett Kay single to shallow right and Beesley doubled ISU’s lead after scampering home following a stolen base and a throwing error by Aces’ catcher Chris Pearson.  Zac Johnson capped the inning with an RBI single to shallow center to score Kay.
 
UE answered with a run in its half of the inning, when Pollock doubled down the left field line and later scored on an infield single off the bat of Lasher.  Evansville then proceeded to load the bases with two outs, but Illinois State starter Brad Sorkin held the Aces to just one run and the Redbirds led 3-1 after five complete.
 
ISU took advantage of an Evansville error to score a pair of unearned runs in the top of the eighth to extend its lead to 5-1.  Mike Hollenbeck drew a two-out walk to start the rally and advanced to third on Stewart’s double down the right field line, before Johns came out of the bullpen.  Both runners later scored on an error by freshman Jonathan Ramon.
 
The Aces were able to get both runs back in the bottom of the eighth to cut the Illinois State lead to 5-3.  Day delivered a one-out single to right, before coming around to score on a wild pitch.  Lasher drove in the second run of the inning, when he grounded out to short and allowed freshman Shain Showers to score from third.
 
UE would threaten in the bottom of the ninth, as Pearson led off the inning with a single up the middle, but Redbird reliever Jeremy Rhoades was able to strand the tying run at first base and earn his sixth save of the year.
 
Evansville ends its season with an overall record of 24-34 and finished with a 10-10 record in MVC play for a fifth-place finish in the regular-season standings.