Walk-Off Winners: Red Devils Deliver Late Again, Sweep Blackburn
EUREKA – It doesn't get any more dramatic than that.
For the third time in four games, the Eureka Red Devils were walk-off winners at Henry Sand Field on Saturday.
The Red Devils came from behind in the bottom of the ninth to edge Blackburn, 10-9, in the first game, and Sam Buduris (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community/McKendree) launched a three-run moonshot in the bottom of the 10th to clinch a 5-2 win in Game 2 and a 2-0 start to St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
The pair of wild walk-offs came just six days after EC rallied late to take down Illinois College, 8-7, in non-conference action and about a week and a half since it surpassed Dallas Christian in an eight-run, ninth-inning surge on the team's spring break trip.
"They just don't give up," first-year EC coach Noah Suarez said. "They know we are one hit away from breaking out. This is truly one of the best offenses I have been around at the college level."
The win moved the Red Devils to 7-7 on the season and made them winners of four of their last seven heading into a final matchup with the Beavers on Sunday. Eureka will take on their SLIAC foes at 2 p.m.
Game 1: Eureka 10, Blackburn 9
For a while, the odds were looking long for the Red Devils.
After trailing early and building a small lead in the first few innings, Eureka saw the Beavers gain the upper hand by tallying seven unanswered runs between the sixth and seventh innings to take a 9-4 lead.
The home team finally responded by tallying four runs on four hits in the eighth and giving themselves a chance heading into the ninth.
With Dominic Tenayuca (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Jacobs/Lincoln) on the mound, the Red Devils did their part in the field, chalking up a 1-2-3 inning. That brought Chase Ulrich (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria/ Illinois Central College) – who punched the walk-off RBI single up the middle last week -- up to the plate.
This time, he reached on an error to set the table for Joshua Frenden (New Port Richey, Fla./River Ridge/Philander Smith), who tripled to left field to send home pinch-runner David Hidden (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) and tie the game.
After that, it was No. 9 hitter Gabe Peters' (Washington, Ill./Washington Community/Mount Mercy turn to play the hero. Poised and prepared for the moment, the freshman sliced it into the right field and brought in the winning run to cement a memorable conference-opening victory.
Peters, who went 3-for-5 at the plate, was one of three Red Devils to post a three-hit game. Leadoff hitter Cole Tanner (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Knox) was the other, going 3-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice fly RBI and a walk. Nickolas Cartmill (Burleson, Texas/Burleson/Bacone) went 2-for-3 and drove in a team-high three runs, while Frenden was 2-for-4 with the crucial RBI triple.
Eight Red Devils contributed at least one hit and the team finished with 14 hits overall.
Tenayuca got the win after pitching the last three innings of the game. He conceded a pair of earned runs on four hits and two errors in the seventh, but he got out of with a strikeout and then retired six of his next seven batters to close the game.
Starting pitcher Mike Dunne (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Lincoln Land) threw six innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four.
"We gotta stop making games so close," Suarez said. "I'm 25, and I'm going to start getting gray hairs."
Game 2: Eureka 5, Blackburn 2 (10 inn.)
Eureka was three outs away from securing a 2-1 win and a pair of one-run wins to start SLIAC play. The Beavers made them dig a little deeper, however.
The visitors scratched the game-tying run across in the top of the ninth, held Eureka with a runner on in the bottom half and even threatened in the top of the 10th, too.
But, just as they did in Game 1, the Red Devils came through with clutch plays – both in the field and at the plate.
First, Hidden ran down the third out at the edge of foul territory to get EC out of the inning, and then the Red Devils came up big with the bat.
With one out, Garrett Flaagan (Eagle, Colo./Eagle Valley/Williston State) doubled to left field to put the game-tying run on base. A dropped fly ball in the infield put two on and brought EC's top hitter to the plate.
The moment he made contact, everyone knew how it was going to end. The Red Devils' dugout emptied and Buduris was engulfed by maroon and gold swarm at home plate.
"Walking up to the plate with runners in scoring position, I knew I had to have a team at-bat and put a ball in play," Buduris said. "When it left the bat, my heart dropped, and I knew this was going to be one of the coolest moments of my baseball career."
"I'm still in shock," Buduris added later. "I've hit walk-offs, but never a home run. As a hitter, it is one of the greatest feelings."
Nick Rulevish (Addieville, Ill./Okawville) walked away a winner for third straight game. He came on in the eighth, pitched three innings and only allowed one run one five hits while striking out four and walking none.
He was proceeded by Brayden Williams (Chouteau, Okla./Poteau/Bacone), who turned in seven quality innings, limiting the Beavers to just one run on 10 hits and no walks. He also had four hits.
Eureka scored its first two runs in the third inning after an RBI groundout by Cartmill and an RBI fielder's choice by Buduris. Buduris went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, a triple and four RBI. Tanner and Flaagan each had two hits as well.
"We could have won that game without every one of our Devils," Buduris said. "Every guy on our roster is a team guy and plays their role."
