Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Printable Box Score (Game 1)  |  Printable Box Score (Game 2)

Photo Gallery

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team defeated visiting UT Martin in both games of a doubleheader Tuesday night at Braun Stadium, behind strong performances from juniors Matt Rodgers and Kyle Pollock.  Rodgers held the Skyhawks to just one run on two hits over 5.2 innings in a 5-2 win for the Purple Aces in the opener, before Pollock delivered a walk-off single to give UE a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.
 
"We really had to grind it out in that second game and Jake Mahon coming through with a big RBI blast with two outs to tie the score was really clutch, and at the end of the game UT Martin put a tough pitcher on the mound and Kyle Pollock was able to fight off a pitch and put it into right center for the big hit that we needed," head coach Wes Carroll said.  "Hopefully with two wins tonight and now three wins in a row, we can gain some momentum going into the Valley.  Being 10-6 right now is a good way to start our season and we were able to protect Braun Stadium tonight.  It is so tough to stay dialed in for a midweek doubleheader and I thought we did that today."
 
Sophomore Jonathan Ramon finished the evening 4-for-6 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI, while fellow sophomore Josh Jyawook also tallied four hits, including a double and two RBI to lead Evansville (10-6) offensively.  Pollock and junior Boomer Synek each bolstered the Aces' offense with two RBI apiece, while sophomore Eric McKibban extended his on-base streak to 16 games by going 2-for-5 with a walk, a hit by pitch and two runs scored.
 
On the mound, Rodgers (3-0) picked up his third win of the year in the opener and senior Sam Johns tallied his fourth save by tossing the final 1.1 frames.  In game two, sophomore Brent Jurceka got UE out of a late-inning jam and finished with three strikeouts in his 1.2 innings, while senior Tyler Miller (2-1) got the win by allowing just one hit in the final 2.0 innings.
 
"Matt Rodgers set the pace for us tonight by keeping our bullpen intact," Carroll said.  "He threw 88 solid pitches for his longest outing of the season and it was a great effort for us, before Sam Johns came in and closed out the game.  In game two, Brent Jurceka has been our go-to guy in tough situations and he was able to come in and put zeroes on the board, which gave our bats enough time to get back in the game."
 
GAME ONE RECAP:  EVANSVILLE 5, UT MARTIN 2
Evansville jumped on UT Martin (2-17) starter Chris Ross (0-2) early in the game, as the Aces pushed across two runs on five hits in the bottom of the first.  Junior Kevin Kaczmarski started the rally with a two-out, double to deep center, before scoring on Pollock's single to shallow center.  McKibban followed with a looping single of his own, before Ramon drove in Pollock with a hit down the right field line, giving UE a 2-0 lead.
 
Evansville added another run in its half of the fifth, when Jyawook doubled down the line in left to score freshman Devin Williams, who led off the inning with a double of his own, making the score 3-0 in favor of the Aces.
 
After pitching around a leadoff walk in the top of the first, Rodgers settled in on the mound for UE and retired 10-straight Skyhawks, before allowing a one-out single to Taylor Douglas.  However, Douglas was quickly erased from the base paths, when Taylor Cox grounded into a double play in UTM's next at bat.
 
UT Martin was able to push across a run in the sixth, when Douglas drove in Fletcher Johnson with an RBI single through the left side off of Johns, but Evansville countered with two runs in the bottom of the frame, when Pollock scampered home on a wild pitch and Synek drove in McKibban with a sacrifice fly to center, putting the Aces in front, 5-1.
 
Johns surrendered an unearned run in the top of the seventh, but was able to nail down his fourth save of the year in UE's 5-2 win
 
GAME TWO RECAP: EVANSVILLE 6, UT MARTIN 5 (8 INN.)
UT Martin built an early 5-0 lead in the nightcap, as the Skyhawks scored three runs in the top of the first and two more in the second, with four of them coming against Evansville starter Brandon Kelley.
 
With two outs and a runner in scoring position, Cox drove in UTM's first run of the game with a single up the middle, before Zack Malone hit a towering two-run homer off the netting beyond the left field wall giving UT Martin a 3-0 lead.
 
In the second, sophomore Conor Gilligan replaced Kelley following a leadoff single by Mikey Nantze.  Gilligan then proceeded to give up a double to Drew Erie, before walking Chase Young.  Both Erie and Young would later score on a two-out, two-run single by Malone to extend the Skyhawks' lead to 5-0.
 
The Aces battled back and scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut UTM's lead to 5-4.  Pollock reached on an error to start the inning, before McKibban was walked and Ramon, Synek and sophomore Shain Showers followed with three-straight singles to plate three UE runs.  Jyawook drove in Evansville's final run of the inning by reaching in a fielder's choice that allowed Synek to cross the plate and bring the Aces within one.
 
UT Martin threatened to add to its lead in the top of the fifth, when reliever James Kohler issued a pair of walks to Cox and Malone to put runners on first and second with just one out, but Jurceka came out of the bullpen and struck out both Jake Deason and Max Balter to end the threat.
 
UE would strand a runner in scoring position in the fifth, before senior Jake Mahon came through with a big hit in the sixth to tie the game at 5-5.  Showers led off the inning with a slow roller through the middle of the diamond and later scored when Mahon doubled to deep right with two outs to tie the game.
 
After Jurceka pitched around a leadoff walk in the sixth, Miller came out of the bullpen and limited the Skyhawks to just one base runner over the final 2.0 innings, before Pollock's heroics in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Jyawook reached on a one-out single to represent the potential winning run and advanced into scoring position, after Kaczmarski was walked on four-straight pitchers.  Pollock then won the game for Evansville, when he flared a ball into shallow center to allow Jyawook to score from second give the Aces a 6-5 victory.
 
"Indiana State is a hot team right now, but the good thing is, we have them here (at Braun Stadium)," Carroll said.  "Playing at Braun Stadium to open MVC play this weekend with Kyle Freeland going on Friday, we know we are going to be competitive, it is nice to see our bats get going a little bit after the past week.   We are going to have to play better defense as we get into Valley play, there is no doubt about that, but I am really excited to start conference play."
 
The Aces will return to the diamond this weekend, when they open Missouri Valley Conference play by hosting in-state rival Indiana State.  UE and the Sycamores will open the series Friday, March 21, at 6 p.m. under the lights at Braun Stadium.