EVANSVILLE – Down to their last out and trailing by three runs on Saturday, the University of Evansville baseball team battled back to pick up an 11-10 win in 10 innings over visiting Northern Illinois at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
"Our offense showed a lot of fight today," UE head coach Wes Carroll said. "We didn't play our best baseball, but fortunately, we were able to find a couple of quality at-bats in the ninth to come back and tie it up and then again in the 10
th to scratch across the winning runs."
As the game entered the bottom of the ninth, it looked as if NIU (1-9) had grabbed hold of the comeback narrative as the Huskies rallied from a six-run deficit to grab a 9-6 lead. Things would keep going NIU's way early in the ninth as NIU pitcher Joey Ceja sat down the first two UE hitters on just five pitches.
However, a Josh Jyawook single would get things started for the Aces (5-4), and Jonathan Ramon followed up with a triple to right to cash in the first score. Eric McKibban doubled home another in the ensuing at-bat before Korbin Williams followed up with a double of his own to plate the equalizer.
A fielding error resulted in another score for NIU in the top of the 10
th, but Nate Reeder, the hero of Friday's win over the Huskies, got things going once again for the Aces. The freshman led off the inning with a double down the left field line, and a ground out and wild pitch brought him home to even things up. Both Shain Showers and Jyawook walked to load the bases and chase NIU reliever Aaron Rumfield from the mound. However, the pitching change didn't result in much of a difference for the UE line-up as McKibban earned a bases-loaded walk to give the Aces their fourth consecutive victory.
McKibban led the way offensively for UE as he finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and three runs batted in, and Reeder registered three hits on the day as well, scoring twice. Ramon, Jyawook and Showers also enjoyed two-hit days as UE out-hit the visitors from DeKalb, Ill., 15-9.
The Aces drew first blood in the contest when Bommer Synek grounded out in the third cash in the first score of the game. Singles from Showers and Jyawook drove in three more to make it 4-0, and a pair of errors in the fifth resulted in two runs as the Aces took a 6-0 lead.
Brandon Gomer, who did not surrender a run over the opening five innings on the mound for UE, gave up a pair over the course of a four-run sixth for the Huskies. The freshman right-hander ended the game with two earned runs on one hit and a pair of walks over 5.1 innings of work.
The Huskies would add three more in the seventh to take their first lead of the weekend and set the stage for the dramatic ninth inning.
Brent Jurceka (3-0), who allowed one unearned run in the 10
th, picked up his second victory in as many days, while NIU's Jon Savarise was pegged with the loss.
UE will be back in action on Sunday as the team will welcome back Northern Illinois for the weekend finale at Braun Stadium at 1 p.m.
NOTES: The Aces have now won four consecutive games for the first time since a five-game streak from April 26 – May 2 last season … Since 1978, the Aces have posted a 6-1 record against Northern Illinois … This weekend will mark the second time that the Aces have opened the home schedule with a three-game series vs. NIU … UE swept past the Huskies Feb. 24-25 in 1996 … Overall, the Aces are 219-196 against teams that hail from the state of Illinois.
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