Eureka Falls Short at Fontbonne, 5-2
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Eureka baseball team fell short 5-2 at Fontbonne in its St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season opener on Sunday.
Trailing 5-0, the Red Devils scored both of their runs in the eighth inning to make it a three-run game. They put two runners on in the top of the ninth, but one got out on a double play and the other was left stranded.
Fontbonne pitcher Gavin Kinworthy threw seven strong innings, striking out 15 batters and only allowing three hits. He retired the first 13 batters he faced.
Eureka's Chase Ulrich (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria/Illinois Central College) singled with one out in the fifth for the Red Devils' first hit of the game. A single to right field by Brenden Eigenbrod in the next at-bat put two runners on and an error moved them both into scoring position. Kinworthy, however, got out of the inning with a strikeout and a fly-out.
Nick Rulevish (Addieville, Ill./Okawville) singled and advanced to second on a passed ball in the sixth, but once again, Kinworthy delivered a strikeout to end the threat.
Fontbonne's Vonner Panek took over for Kinworthy in the eighth. After a groundout, Austin Davis (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) singled to center, and a fly-out later, Rulevish doubled to put runners on the corners.
Eureka's first run of the game happened when Cole Tanner (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Knox) reached on an error, scoring Davis and moving Rulevish to third. Rulevish scored EC's second and final run on a balk. Tanner ended up getting left on third after a fly-out to end the inning.
The Red Devils finished with six hits on the day, with Rulevish going 2-for-4 with a double, and Eigenbrod, Ulrich, Davis and Brandt King (Stillman Valley, Ill./Stillman Valley) all contributing a hit.
Eureka pitcher Nathan Garard (Gibson City, Ill./Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley) took the loss after conceding five runs on nine hits and five walks in six innings. He also had three strikeouts. Ty Kapp (Downs, Ill./Tri Valley) pitched two scoreless innings and had two strikeouts while only allowing one hit and two walks.
On Monday, Eureka (2-9, 0-1 SLIAC) will wrap up the three-game series against the Griffins (10-6, 1-0 SLIAC) with a 12 p.m. doubleheader.