Eureka Drops Wednesday Contests to Belhaven, Millsaps
JACKSON, Miss. -- The Eureka College baseball team dropped a pair of non-conference games against NCAA Division III opponents, Wednesday. The Red Devils opened the day with a 12-2 setback at Belhaven before falling later in the evening at Millsaps, 9-5.
The Blazers scored in all six innings they batted in the opener versus Belhaven, including four-run outbursts in the second and sixth innings.
BU led 6-0 before the Red Devils got on the board in the top of the fourth. A two-out single from shortstop Evan Smith (Moline, Ill./Moline H.S.) extended the inning before Smith eventually came around to score after a pair of BU errors. The Red Devils got another unearned run in the fifth when Jake Schnulle (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock North H.S.) reached on a fielding error and scored three batters later on an RBI single from Jake Carter (Carlinville, Ill./Carlinville H.S.).
Carter, Smith and Grant Mullin (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita H.S.) collected hits for the visitors.
In the nightcap at Millsaps, the Red Devils grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Ray Vogel (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone H.S.) doubled into the right-center field gap to score Braxten Ary (Manito, Ill./Midwest Central H.S.), who doubled to begin the game.
EC's advantage would be short-lived after the Majors moved in front 3-1 on Lee Ogletree's home run in the bottom of the inning. The Red Devils responded in the second inning by cutting the deficit in half on an RBI single from Max Marcoux (Jennings County, Ind./Jennings County H.S.), three more MC runs in the bottom of the frame extended the hosts' lead to 6-2.
The Millsaps lead swelled to 9-2 in the fifth. Wes Lassere led off the frame with a solo home run. Jon Dale Dieckman tacked on an RBI groundout later in the inning before the Majors tacked on an unearned run thanks to a throwing error in the EC infield.
Facing a 9-3 deficit in the ninth inning, EC pushed two runs across. Ary and Carter drove in runs during the inning, but a fielder's choice stopped the rally before EC could bring the tying run to the plate.
Ary, Vogel, Smith and Dusty Nace (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap H.S.) logged two hits apiece against MC. Both of Nace's hits were doubles.
The EC bullpen trio of newcomers Brady Sevier (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.), Kyle Cashdollar (Morton, Ill./Morton H.S.) and Kyle Maki (Virginia, Minn./Virginia H.S.) limited the Majors to two hits over 3.1 scoreless innings. Cashdollar threw a perfect seventh inning.
The Red Devils will have an off day Thursday before traveling to Louisiana for the Marler Ford Classic in Pineville, La. EC will play four times in three days, starting with a 7 p.m. matchup with host Louisiana College on Friday night.