No. 5 EVANSVILLE 8, No. 1 INDIANA STATE 5
UE (32-26); INS (41-17)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In game five of the State Farm MVC Baseball Championship, No. 5 Evansville eliminated top-seeded Indiana State with a 8-5 decision. The Purple Aces will face the loser of the Creighton vs. Illinois State contest, scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

Scoring eight runs in the first three innings, the University of Evansville baseball team eliminated Indiana State, the Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions, by a score of 8-5 Wednesday morning at Hammons Field.

The Aces combined for 11 hits in the contest, all off of the MVC Newcomer of the Year, Dakota Bacus. Eric Stamets led the crew, going 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and one run scored. Freshman Kyle Pollock went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, including his fifth home run of the season, while junior Jason Hockemeyer also went 2-for-4.

Junior Kyle Lloyd (6-3) earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned), six hits, no walks, while striking out seven in six innings of work. Sam Johns picked up the save, tossing the final three frames, holding the Sycamores to two unearned runs on two hits, a walk, with two strikeouts.

Bacus (7-4) took the loss for ISU, allowing eight runs (five earned), 11 hits, while striking out three in six innings. Relievers Tyler Pazik, Brandon Dorsett, and Devin Moore shared the final frames, holding UE without a hit.

After a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts by Lloyd to start the 9:00 a.m. game, Pollock blasted a two-out solo home run to give UE an early 1-0 lead.

Lloyd again sat the Sycamores down in order in the second, before the Aces exploded for six runs in the bottom of the frame. Batting around the order, UE loaded the bases with no outs after Hockemeyer singled, Trentt Copeland was hit by a pitch, and John Day reached on a throwing error on his sacrifice bunt. Tim Bodine’s sacrifice fly to the left field warning track plated one, and Stamets and Jake Mahon followed with back-to-back RBI singles. Pollock kept the one-out rally going with an RBI double to left, and Chris Pearson capped the inning, plating two on his single through the left side.

Leading 7-0, Indiana State cut into the deficit with two runs in the top of the third, as Ryan Walterhouse lined a leadoff double and Koby Kraemer followed immediately with a home run over the left field wall.

However, Evansville made it a six-run game as they scored in the third straight inning on Bodine and Stamets’ consecutive singles with two outs.

In the fourth, the Sycamores recorded an unearned run, but that would be it until ISU rallied for two more unearned runs in the eighth. A two-out fielding error was followed by Jon Hedges’ two-run blast out of the park, making it a three run game, 8-5, heading to the ninth.

However, Johns sat the Sycamores down in order in the final frame, keeping the Aces’ season alive.