MURRAY, Ky. – The University of Evansville baseball dropped the opening game of the MVC Tournament on Wednesday, falling to fourth-seeded Southern Illinois by a score of 8-4.
Evansville led the game 2-1 through three innings, but SIU scored seven runs in innings four through six to pull away.
Evansville tallied 12 hits on the night, led by a 3-for-5 day from Reid Haire (Hudson, N.C./Charlotte) that included a 2-run home run. Cooper Rhodes (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) had two doubles for the Aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Evansville threatened with two outs in the top of the first, loading the bases with two singles and a walk, but were kept of the board. SIU scored first in the home half of the inning, taking a 1-0 lead.
Evansville struck in the bottom of the third, with Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind./Seymour) getting the inning started with a leadoff single before Haire blasted a long home run to right field, giving the Aces the lead.
SIU got a home run of their own in the fourth, however, using a three-run blast to regain the lead. In the fifth, the Salukis scored three more runs before adding another in the sixtht o make it 8-2.
Evansville drew closer in the seventh, with Reagan Reeder (Ramsey, Minn./Illinois) driving in a run with a single and Rhodes driving home another with a double.
Pitching in relief, Kellen Roberts (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) got a zero in the seventh before giving way to Drew Fieger (Fort Mitchell, Ky./Lincoln Trail CC) with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, who came up with a big strikeout. However, the Aces were kept off the board in the ninth as the Salukis took an 8-4 win.
UP NEXT
Evansville returns to action tomorrow morning for an elimination game against the loser of tonight's Illinois State vs. Murray State contest. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. from Murray, Ky.
