Red Devils Win Big in Both Against Maranatha

EUREKA, IL. – The Eureka baseball team swept Maranatha Baptist at home on Monday, 10-running the Sabercats in both contests.

Game 1: Eureka 16, Maranatha Baptist 1

The Red Devils' bats came alive early in the first game. In the bottom of the first, Cole Tanner (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Knox) led off with a single and stole second before scoring off of a single from Nick Rulevish (Addieville, Ill./Okawville). Rulevish then scored on a double off the bat of Chase Ulrich (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria/Illinois Central College) to make it 2-0 after just three at-bats. The Red Devils scored two more runs before the end of the inning, one off a sacrifice fly and the other from an error.

Eureka piled on another four runs in the second inning. Junior Mike Dunne (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Lincoln Land) drove in two of those runs with a double. They added five more in the third inning. It was Dunne, again, who led the scoring, knocking a 2-run homer out of the park. The Red Devils tacked on a final three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Chase Ulrich notched another RBI with a single that drove in Edwin Hohulin (Minier, Ill./Olympia) before Sam Buduris (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community/McKendree) cleared the bases with a 2-run homer.

Maranatha Baptist's lone run came in the top of the third off of a pair of singles in that inning. Colton Yanish (LaSalle-Peru, Ill./LaSalle-Peru Township/Illinois Valley) had the start for Eureka. Yanish pitched four innings, striking out 8 batters and allowing only one run. Hayden McKenna (Sheridan, Ill./Marquette Academy) took to the mound in the top of the fifth and faced three batters, striking out one and getting another to roll into the game-ending double-play.

The heart of the Red Devil order hit well in game one. Mike Dunne led the team with 4 RBI's. Dunne was 2-for-2 with a walk, a double, and a home run. Chase Ulrich was 2-for-2 with two walks and batted two runs in with his double. Sam Buduris was 2-for-4 with a 2-run homer. 

Game 2: Eureka 14, Maranatha Baptist 2

Eureka ramped up the scoring throughout game 2, scoring 2 in the first, 3 in the second, 4 in the third, and 5 in the fourth. Marantha was able to drive in two runs in the top of the fifth, but it was not enough to extend the game.

Eureka's two runs in the first came from an Andrew Schulte (Summerfield, Ill./Lebanon/Southwestern Illinois) double with runners on second and third. In the second inning, Kelton O'Grady (Camp Verde, Arizona/Camp Verde) scored on an error by the Sabercats' catcher before Schulte drove home two more with another double.

Ethan Hedge (North Pekin, Ill./Pekin) helped the Red Devils tally four more in the third inning, picking up two RBI's with his double. Jordan Kerby (Bixby, Okla./Crowder/Bacone) doubled in the fourth inning with the bases loaded to score another three runs. Then Christopher Wollum (Cary, NC/Cary/Barton) doubled to drive in Kerby.

Brayden Williams (Chouteau, Okla./Poteau/Bacone) threw for 4 innings in game two, striking out four batters and allowing zero runs and just one hit. Sam Buduris came in for the last inning. All three outs that inning came by strikeout.

Andrew Schulte led the team in RBI's with 4 in game 2. Schulte was 2-for-3 at the plate with two doubles. Four other Red Devils hit doubles in game 2: Jordan Kerby, Christopher Wollum, David Hidden, and Ethan Hedge.