Baseball

MVC Baseball Championship: Evansville 17, Illinois State 6 – 7 innings (Game 3)

Game 3: Evansville 17, Illinois State 6 – 7 innings
 
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The long ball lifted No. 3 Evansville past No. 4 Illinois State on Wednesday, as the Purple Aces won their third-straight tourney opener, 17-6, in seven innings against the Redbirds.
 
CONFERENCE NOTES
  • The game between the Purple Aces and the Redbirds was the second of three games in the 2024 MVC Baseball Championship to end via run-rule.
  • The programs combined for nine homers, bringing the tournament total to 20 over the course of the first three contests.
  • No. 3 Evansville advances to face the winner of No. 2 Murray State/No. 5 UIC at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday night.
  • The Redbirds await their opponent and will face the winner of No. 7 Belmont/No. 8 Missouri State in an elimination game on Thursday at 9 a.m. CT.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Illinois State used four hits to score three runs in the opening frame, lifting back-to-back home runs with two outs. It marked just the second game of the season that UE starting pitcher, and MVC Freshman of the Year, Kenton Deverman had given up multiple home runs in a game.
  • The Purple Aces responded in the home half of the inning, as Simon Scherry lifted a lead-off bomb over the centerfield wall to put Evansville on the board to lead off and Chase Hug used a two-out home run to bring the Aces within one.
  • Cal McGinnis knocked UE’s 135th double of the season to lead off the second inning, tying the program record set in 1998. Seven of the nine batters in the Purple Aces’ starting lineup are in double figures in doubles this season for UE.
  • Pacella added to Illinois State’s lead in the top of the third with a two-run shot to push the Redbirds ahead, 5-2. It marked the fifth home run of the game and third for Illinois State.
  • Rabin launched his second homer of the game to continue to add onto the lead for the Redbirds. UE’s Deverman had only given up seven home runs in a league-leading 89.1 innings this season before giving up four to Illinois State through the first three frames.
  • The Purple Aces responded by scratching four across in the bottom of the third to level the score at six-all.
  • Mark Shallenberger – Evansville’s leader in doubles this year – knocked his 20th of the year to move the Purple Aces to a school record 136 this season before Kip Fougerousse homered to give the Aces their first lead of the game in the fourth inning. Evansville tacked on five more runs in the bottom of the frame to hold a commanding 13-6 advantage.
  • Two more runs by Evansville highlighted the bottom of the sixth before a walk-off two-run shot over the right field wall by catcher Brendan Hord ended it for the Aces.