Jeremy Pickrel went 2-for-7 on the day with a homer, but the Illinois State baseball team could not get things rolling and dropped two games of a doubleheader to Evansville Saturday at Redbird Field in Normal. The Birds lost the first game, 5-4, and dropped the second game, 5-0, to fall to 0-3 on the series.
After a leak in a water pipe behind the pitchers mound delayed the start of game one by nearly 40 minutes, Illinois State starter Todd Stein (1-4) gave up a solo shot to right field to Anthony Albano to put the Aces ahead 1-0 in the top of the second. Illinois State missed an opportunity to score in the bottom half of the inning with runners at second and third with one out after a successful sac bunt by Greg Blaesing. However, Jake Blair struck out and Chris Shepherd grounded out to the shortstop to retire the side.
Evansville got another run in the third inning when Eric Jones hit an RBI single down the right field line to score Wes Davis from second giving the Aces a 2-0 lead through three innings of play. Another Aces solo homer to right-center this time by Dan Robinson to lead off the sixth inning gave Evansville starter Adam Rogers (1-2) a 3-0 cushion to work with heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Kyle Smith, the Aces second baseman, recorded all three putouts in the bottom of the sixth to keep the Redbirds scoreless through six innings. Stein struck out the side in the top of the seventh to help set the stage for an Illinois State comeback in the final inning.
Blair struck out to in the first at-bat in the bottom of the seventh, but was able to reach first on a wild pitch. Scott Bialobreski hit a line drive to the right-centerfield gap that put runners at the corners with no outs. Jeremy Accardo hit an RBI single to left field that scored Blair from third.
With the score 3-1 and no outs, Kevin ODell laid down a successful sac bunt to put the runners at second and third with one out. Jay Molina got a big infield hit to left field that plated two and tied the game at 3-3. However, Jon Peacock popped into a 4-3 double play that ended the inning.
In the eighth inning, Evansville put two runs on the board when Ryan Frazier hit a two-out, two RBI double to right center to give the Aces a 5-3 advantage. Jeremy Pickrel homered to right field to cut the Evansville lead to one, 5-4, but it was all the Birds could muster as they drop the first game of the doubleheader.
Evansville jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the nightcap through two innings of play behind three straight hits, two singles and a triple respectively, to lead off the second inning. The Aces loaded the bases in the third inning with two outs, but Illinois State starter Josh Kauten (2-3) was able to get Mike Serafini to ground out to second base to retire the side.
Neither team could score any runs over the next three innings as Kauten and Evansville starter Mitch Prout (3-3) battled back and forth until the sixth. A lead-off double by Robinson, which led to an RBI single by Gabe Bauer, that gave the Aces an insurance run late in the game for a 4-0 lead. With runners at second and third with two outs after Prout walked the first two batters of the side, Lance McMillan flew out to the warning track in centerfield to close out the sixth inning.
Eric Lis hit a solo shot to right-center in the top of the seventh to extend Evansvilles lead to 5-0. However, the Redbirds could only get one hit in the bottom of the inning falling 5-0 in the second game.
Illinois State and Evansville conclude the series Sunday at Redbird Field with a 1 p.m., nine-inning match-up. The Redbirds are now 9-19 overall and 3-11 in conference play, while the Aces improve to 15-19 overall and 5-10 in the Valley.
