Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team exploded for 11 runs on Saturday, including home runs by sophomore catcher Brendan Hord and senior first baseman Tanner Craig, as the Purple Aces cruised past the visiting Dayton Flyers, 11-2, in the 2022 home opener at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium.

"It is great to get back in the win column," said UE head baseball coach Wes Carroll.  "The bats came alive today, with the middle of the order really producing for us.  Shane Gray also pitched around some traffic and gave us a quality start, which was great to see.

"I want to see us play clean baseball for 18 innings tomorrow."

Evansville plated its first run of the game after just two batters, as graduate student Evan Berkey tripled to right-center to open the contest and junior second baseman Brent Widder followed with an RBI single.  Widder would eventually score on senior designated hitter Eric Roberts' RBI single to give UE a 2-0 lead.

Gray would retire nine of the first 10 men he faced through the first three innings, with the lone runner reaching on an error, before the UE offense would explode for four runs in the bottom of the third inning to put the game out of reach.  Gray (1-1) went 6.0 innings on the mound, scattering two runs on four hits while striking out seven to pick up his first win of the season.

Hord would add to a 6-2 UE lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run home run to left field, his first as a Purple Ace.  Then, after UE tacked on two more insurance runs in the seventh inning, Craig blasted his second home run of the season – a solo shot to left field – to provide UE with the final margin of victory.

Hord led Evansville offensively by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI.  Roberts also went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Craig and junior right fielder Mark Shallenberger also had multi-hit games.  Second baseman Ben Jones led Dayton's six-hit outing with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate.

With the victory, Evansville improves to 1-4 on the season, while Dayton falls to 3-1.  The two teams will conclude the short series on Sunday with a doubleheader.  First-pitch for game one of the twinbill is set for 12 p.m. central time.  UE will send sophomore right-handers Nick Smith (0-1) and Shane Harris (0-1) to the mound in the doubleheader.