Mike Dunne’s Walk-Off Blast Clinches Senior Day Sweep for Red Devils
EUREKA – Eureka's Mike Dunne (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Lincoln Land) capped an unforgettable Senior Day sweep over Westminster with a two-run, walk-off home run in the 10th inning to clinch a 12-10 win at Henry Sand Field.
Dunne, a sophomore pitcher who likes to help his own cause at the plate, knew it was gone the moment it hit the bat, and it soared over the right-field fence, setting off the kind of frenzied celebration that the Red Devils have been waiting for all season.
"Honestly, it's something I have never done before," Dunne said after the game. "I've never hit a walk-off home run before. I've hit walk-offs before, but never a home run like that over the fence. I did know it off the bat.
"I'm still processing it; I can't believe I did it."
It came after a furious, late-inning comeback by the Blue Jays. The Red Devils led 9-3 through six innings, but the visitors chipped away with a run in the seventh and two runs in the eight before tying the game with a three-run ninth to send the game to extras.
Then, in the 10th, they plated a go-ahead run by scoring the ghost runner from the international tiebreaker rule with a sacrifice fly by Payton Whitehead.
After that Skyler Bushey drew a walk to load the bases before senior Tate Stone (Washington, Ill./Washington) got Quin Adelson to fly out.
With three more outs, the Blue Jays would have escaped with an impressive comeback win, but the Red Devils wouldn't have it.
Cole Tanner (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Knox) reached on an error, then Nick Rulevish (Addieville, Ill./Okawville) laid down the bunt the Red Devils needed to move the tying run to third base.
Chase Ulrich (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria/Illinois Central College) followed that with an RBI groundout to second base to tie the game at 10-10.
That brought Dunne up to the plate for his big moment, and he couldn't have delivered it in a more thrilling fashion.
"What an exciting game," EC coach Jerry Rashid said. "Both teams fought and scratched, fell behind, came back, fell behind, came back.
"I'm really happy for our kids, and proud that they didn't give up. Even when it looked bleak, they hung in there."
Stone recorded the win after getting the last two outs in the 10th, but Ryan Bredeson (Washington, Ill./Washington) did the heavy lifting early on. The junior southpaw pitched 6 1/3 innings, only giving up two earned runs on eight hits and one walk and striking out five.
Buschey led off the second inning with a home run to center field to put the Blue Jays on the board. Two innings later, the Red Devils took the lead with a pair of runs when Garrett Flaagan (Eagle, Ill..Eagle Valley/Williston State) produced a SAC fly RBI and Braden Cox (Washington, Ill./Illini Bluffs/Black Hawk) stole home.
Cox, a senior, turned in a strong Senior Day performance in Game 2, going 4-for-4 at the plate with a home run, a double and two RBI.
He led off with a solo home run to kick off Eureka's seven-run, sixth-inning rally. The inning included seven hits, including an RBI single to center field by David Hidden (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), an RBI triple by Tanner, an RBI single by Dunne and an RBI double by Cox.
Tanner, Dunne, Ulrich and Nathan Garard (Gibson City, Ill./Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley) all recorded multi-hit games in the win. The Red Devils tallied 14 hits overall.
"In my opinion, it really reflected how we should have been playing the whole season," Dunne said.
Game 1: Eureka 10, Westminster 8
The first game of the day ended up being a nail-biter of a different variety, but Dunne coming through at the end was the common denominator.
He took over for Garard on the mound in the seventh and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings to protect a razor-thin lead and get the save. He struck out six batters along the way.
Garard was in control and rolling for the first six innings, but the Blue Jays opened the seventh with a lead-off homer and it led to a six-run rally. The Red Devils' senior ace threw 6 2/3 innings and struck out six batters in his last home start on the mound at Henry Sand Field.
A pair of seniors were responsible for Eureka's first scoring plays of the day.
With two on, Austin Davis (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) notched an RBI groundout, and then Stone produced a towering two-run shot to right field. It was the senior's second career homer and his first since April 3, 2021 against Webster.
Westminster scored two in the third to make it a one-run game, and three innings later, the Red Devils ripped off six hits and scored six runs to make it 9-2. Ulrich had a two-run double, Davis and Rulevish each had RBI singles and Tanner drew a bases-loaded walk.
Dunne drove in the Red Devils' insurance run in the eighth to give him a little more breathing room in the ninth. On the mound, he struck out three of the four batters he faced to put it away.
Dunne finished Game 1 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple and an RBI. Rulevish had two hits and two RBI, and so did Stone.
Eureka only had one error in the opener.
Before the game, the Red Devils honored seven seniors for all of the hard work and dedication that they have put into the program. The group included Garard, Cox, Davis, Stone, Demetrius Schupp (La Salle, Ill./St. Bede Academy), Brenden Eigenbrod (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln/Lincoln College) and Parker Brodine (Brimfield, Ill./Elmwood-Brimfield).
The Red Devils (11-12, 9-11 SLIAC) will conclude St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against the Blue Jays (19-17, 8-9 SLIAC) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
