MURRAY, Ky. – The University of Evansville baseball team earned an important Missouri Valley Conference series victory on Sunday with a doubleheader split with the homestanding Murray State Racers at Johnny Reagan Field in Murray, Kentucky. Evansville won the opener, 6-3, before the Racers responded with a 10-3 win in game two.
"It was great to get the series win on the road," said UE head coach Wes Carroll. "In game one, I thought that Donovan and Michael pitched great in order to get the series win.
"We have a big week ahead, and it will be great to get back home to the Braun to play in front of our fans again!"
In the opener, Murray State struck first, scoring three runs in the first inning with the help of an Evansville error. But, the Purple Aces answered right back to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the second on a two-out, three-run double by fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug.
Evansville would then take the lead in the third inning on an RBI single by fifth-year outfielder Danny Borgstrom. Senior outfielder Mark Shallenberger then added to the lead in the fourth inning with a two-run home run to right field to give UE a 6-3 lead. For Shallenberger, it marked his fourth home run in the seven games since returning from injury last weekend.
From there, UE starter Donovan Schultz (5-2) and reliever Michael Parks (save) combined to shut down the Murray State offense. From the fourth inning on, the Racers had just five singles scattered through the five innings, and Evansville used two of its three double-plays on the day to get out of any trouble. Schultz earned the win by scattering three runs (one earned) on seven base hits in 5.0 innings of work. Parks, meanwhile, earned his first save since 2021 with 4.0 shutout innings of three-hit relief.
Hug led Evansville in the opener by going 3-for-5 with three RBI, while sophomore designated hitter Evan Waggoner also went 3-for-5 with a run scored.
In the nightcap, Murray State once again jumped out early, scoring two runs in the first inning thanks to three walks from UE starter Tyler Denu (3-3). The Racers would add three more runs in the second inning to grab a 5-0 lead.
Evansville would get one run back in the third inning on a solo home run from sophomore outfielder Ty Rumsey. But, a five-run sixth inning put the game out of reach, as Murray State went on to a 10-3 win.
Junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse had the lone multi-hit game of the nightcap for UE, going 2-for-3. Murray State DH Charlie Corum went 2-for-2 with a double, a run scored and three RBI to pace the Racers in game two.
With the doubleheader split, Evansville and Murray State are tied for fourth place in the MVC standings with 8-7 conference marks, but the Purple Aces gain the head-to-head tiebreaker with the series win. Overall, Evansville is now 23-16 overall heading into a home contest on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. against Lipscomb. Tuesday's game can be heard live in the Tri-State on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.
