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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team saw its four-game winning streak come to an end, as visiting Indiana State defeated the Purple Aces, 4-1, behind a complete-game, four-hit performance by starter Brad Lombard Saturday afternoon at Braun Stadium.
 
Sophomore Jonathan Ramon drove in the lone run of the afternoon for Evansville (11-7, 1-1 MVC) with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score senior Jake Mahon, who finished 1-for-4 at the plate.
 
Sophomore Connor Strain (0-2) was on the wrong end of the pitching decision, despite not allowing an earned run in his 4.2 innings of work.  The Shelburn, Ind., native allowed three unearned runs on six hits and recorded three strikeouts with two walks.  Out of the bullpen, sophomore Brent Jurceka saw his scoreless-innings streak come to an end at 20.1, as he allowed a run on two hits in 3.1 frames.
 
A first-inning error ultimately proved to be the difference, as Indiana State (15-4, 1-1 MVC) took advantage of a two-out miscue by junior Kevin Kaczmarski in center field and turned it into three runs. 
 
Landon Curry started the game by drawing a leadoff walk, but was erased, when Strain got Cody Zimmerman to ground into a double play.  Jacob Hayes then reached, when Kaczmarski, who was battling the sun in center, had a high fly ball hit the heel of his glove and fall to the outfield grass.  The Sycamores capitalized by getting three-straight hits, including back-to-back doubles by Brad Romero and Tyler Wampler to take a 3-0 lead.
 
Lombard held the Aces hitless over the first three innings and allowed just one base runner in that span with a leadoff walk in the third, before UE manufactured a run in the bottom of the fourth.  Mahon and Kaczmarski both reached on infield singles, before junior Boomer Synek drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Ramon following by lifting a ball into center that allowed Mahon to tag and score from third to make the score, 3-1, but Lombard limited the damage by inducing an inning-ending ground ball.
 
ISU threatened again in the fifth, when Hayes and Mike Fitzgerald reached on two-out singles, before Jurceka came out of the bullpen and retired Romero on a slow grounder to short to keep the score 3-1.
 
However, Lombard limited Evansville to just two base runners over the final four innings and Indiana State tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth to make the final score, 4-1.
 
Lombard struck out four and walked just two in his complete-game performance and the four, five and six hitters for the Sycamores (Fitzgerald, Romero and Wampler) combined to go 7-for-13 with three RBI and three runs scored to lead the ISU offense.
 
Evansville and Indiana State will meet in the rubber match tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Braun Stadium.  A pair of seniors will be on the mound for both clubs, as lefty Cole Isom is scheduled to toe the rubber for the Aces and the right-handed tossing Kurt Kudrecki is slated to start for the Sycamores.