RICHMOND, Ky. – A late rally from the University of Evansville baseball team was enough for the Purple Aces to secure a series win on Saturday, but a late-game surge from Eastern Kentucky in game two helped the host Colonels salvage a split in a doubleheader at Turkey Hughes Field on Saturday afternoon.
A six-run seventh inning for the Aces proved the difference in game one, which UE went on to win 10-2, and Daniel McFarland's walk-off single handed the Colonels the 6-5 win in the second.
The Aces (11-11) and Colonels (11-13) traded a score in the first two innings before the game turned into a pitching duel between UE's Patrick Schnieders and EKU's Alex Hamilton.
"What a great start from Schnieders," UE head coach Wes Carroll said. "He came out and was just dominant through those first few innings, and he was able to keep them off the board and keep giving us chances. It was a real gutsy performance, and he really competed. Fortunately, we were able to get some runs across to get him the win."
It would all come apart for Hamilton, however, in the seventh as Korbin Williams led off the frame with a double. A Jeff Christen sac bunt turned into a throwing error by Hamilton as Williams crossed home to put UE ahead once again. A walk from Shain Showers and another error on a sac bunt attempt, this time with Stewart Nelson serving as the beneficiary, brought home another run as UE doubled the advantage.
Back-to-back doubles from Boomer Synek and Eric McKibban plated three more, and a Williams single later in the frame made it 7-1 in favor of the Aces.
After EKU reclaimed a score in the bottom of the seventh, Williams would double again and score in the ninth, and a throwing error later in the frame brought home two more to account for the game's final score.
Williams, as well as Jonathan Ramon, finished 3-for-5 at the plate to lead UE, and Schnieders (2-1) picked up the win after allowing a pair of earned runs over seven innings of work.
EKU's Kyle Nowlin homered twice in the second game as EKU ran out to a 5-1 lead after the opening five innings, but McKibban, Trey Hair and Ramon would get the Aces on the comeback trail with consecutive hits to push a pair of runs across early in the sixth. A Williams groundout plated another later in the frame to make it 5-4.
After Aces pitcher Brent Jurceka worked out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh, Josh Jyawook and Williams led off the eighth with singles before a Travis Tokarek sacrifice fly evened the game up.
Jurceka kept the Colonels off the scoreboard in the eighth, but Nelson would be left stranded at third in the top of the ninth, and EKU hopped on Jurceka quickly in the ninth as each of the first two hitters reached base to set the stage for McFarland's game-winning single down the right field line.
Nelson led UE in the contest, going 3-for- 3 at the plate, and Williams enjoyed a two-hit outing. Jurceka, who tossed two-plus innings, was pegged with the loss to drop to 3-2 on the year.
Meanwhile, McFarland led all hitters with a 4-for-5 showing at the plate, and Caleb Johnson picked up win after allowing just one run over the final four innings of the game.
The Aces will be back in action next week as they are slated to play host to SIUE before hitting the road for Indiana.
NOTES: The Aces picked up their first road series victory of the season by taking two of three at EKU … Saturday also marked the second doubleheader of the year for UE and the first since dropping a pair to Central Connecticut State and Liberty earlier this month … Korbin Williams homered in the day's second game, marking the fourth time the sophomore had left the park this season … The 23 team homers for the Aces are the most in a single season since 2011, when the Aces hit 26 … Since 1978, the Aces are 9-8-1 against Eastern Kentucky and 112-85-2 vs. schools that hail from the state of Kentucky.
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