Big innings give Trailblazers weekend split with Lewis & Clark

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team battled through some rough weather conditions, including two 30-minute lightning delays to split the weekend Mid-West Athletic Conference series with Lewis & Clark.

Vincennes took game one 8-4 after scoring four runs in the sixth, before falling in game two of the day 5-4.

The Trailblazers again got the day started on a good note with sophomore leadoff hitter Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.) leading the way with a single in the bottom of the first.

Burdette would steal second, advance on a single by sophomore Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.) and score on a sacrifice fly by freshman Keegan Schlotterbeck (Centerville, Ind.) to give VU an early 1-0 lead.

Vincennes extended their lead in the third with the first four batters reaching base, capped off by a two-RBI single by sophomore Kaden Elliott (New Albany, Ind.) to give the Blazers a 4-0 advantage.

Lewis & Clark would get on the board with a run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth to cut the deficit to one.

VU would look to add some insurance runs in the sixth and came through big with a bases loaded walk by Colin Long, an RBI groundout by Schlotterbeck and a two-RBI single by sophomore Dale Coy (Evansville, Ind.) to extend the lead to five heading to the seventh.

Freshman Christian Pinson (Elizabethtown, Ky.) entered the game out of the pen and closed out the win for the Trailblazers, taking game one of the day 8-4 over Lewis & Clark.

Sophomore Xavier Hart (Jeffersonville, Ind.) got the start in game one and was the recipient of some bad luck with the weather as two lightning delays in the first three innings ended Hart's start early at just two-plus innings. Hart allowed only one hit and struck out one.

Freshman Aaron Fenn (Fort Wayne, Ind.) took over for the Blazers, throwing four innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out a career-high five to pick up the winning decision.

Christian Pinson came in to throw the seventh, allowing one run on two hits in an inning of work.

"Our guys overcame a lot in game one," VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. "From having to pull the tarp twice today with having to take it off the field this morning and then putting it back on during the game, two 30-minute lightning delays. Our guys did a nice job of handling that."

"Aaron Fenn came in and did a great job," Barney added. "Christian Pinson came in and finished it out. Xavier Hart, we just had to shut him down after two innings after getting him up and sitting him down so many times."

"Guys came up big and stepped up late in the game to give us some key hits," Barney said. "It was really the difference in the game."

Game two again started well for the Trailblazers, with VU getting on the board in the first inning for the fifth straight game after Ethan Burdette led off with a single, stole third and scored on a groundout by Colin Long.

Lewis & Clark answered back quickly with a run in the second and would take the lead with a run in the fifth.

Vincennes would even the score in the sixth after Kaden Elliott led off the inning with a single and later scored on a passed ball.

VU took the lead in the seventh after sophomore Kobe Bartlett (Rockport, Ind.) led off the inning with a single and advanced on a throwing error. Bartlett would later score on a sacrifice fly by Kaden Elliott to give the Blazers a 3-2 lead.

Lewis & Clark continued the back-and-forth battle with a pair of runs in the eighth to take the lead back, before VU evened the game again in the bottom of the eighth.

Freshman Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.) got the inning started with a 10-pitch walk. Heyerly came around to score on an RBI single by Ethan Burdette, his fifth hit of the day.

Lewis & Clark took the lead back with a run in the ninth before VU stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the ninth looking for a walk-off win to close out the weekend.

Kaden Elliott got the comeback started with a single before VU put the potential winning run on base with a two-out pinch-hit single by sophomore Nick Kapostasy (Cincinnati, Ohio).

The Blazers were unable to complete the comeback however as Lewis & Clark closed out the 5-4 victory.

Sophomore Gavin Craggs (Taylorville, Ill.) got the start in game two, throwing four and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two.

Freshman Jack Robinson (Mooresville, Ind.) was the first out of the pen, throwing an inning and a third without allowing a hit.

Freshman Jake Stuteville (Rockport, Ind.) entered the game in the seventh, allowing two runs on two hits in an inning on the mound.

Christian Pinson returned to the mound for the third time this weekend, allowing one run on two hits in two innings.

"Game two was a different scenario," Barney said. "We had opportunities and guys have to step up with big hits. We got a few of them to get us to four runs and actually had the lead late and couldn't shut them down."

"The biggest difference in this game is errors," Barney added. "We had three errors that were really costly errors that cost us in different innings and gave them extra outs. We also allowed nine guys to get on either by walks or hit by pitches. The difference in the ball game was just playing better defense. We just didn't get it done today and now we've got to battle back. We feel good about a split, but at the same time, we had a chance to win a third game this weekend today."

The Trailblazers will look to bounce back when VU returns to Jerry Blemker Field next weekend for another MWAC Conference series, this time hosting No.15-ranked Parkland College Saturday, May 6. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. eastern.

The series then shifts to Champaign, Ill. for the final two games of the four-game weekend series Sunday, May 7. First pitch Sunday is also set for 1 p.m. eastern.

"We got a couple of wins under our belts this weekend," Barney said. "We have to learn how to play well. We've got some guys out right now that are banged up with injuries. That's just the nature of the beast and everybody is in that same boat right now. So other guys have to step up. We've talked about it all year long as we start getting closer to game 50 of the season. We're getting some guys into these games that haven't played a ton and some guys have to learn how to step up and show us what they can do as we hopefully start to get those guys back healthy."

BOX SCORE

GAME ONE

Lewis & Clark – 000   120   1 – 4

VU (21-26, 9-14) – 103   004   x – 8

VINCENNES HITTING

RBI – Schlotterbeck 2, Elliott 2, Coy 2, Long. SF – Schlotterbeck. SB – Burdette. HBP – Heyerly, Bartlett, Hinton.

GAME TWO

Lewis & Clark – 010    010   021 – 5

VU (21-27, 9-15) – 100   001   110 – 4

VINCENNES HITTING

RBI – Long, Elliott. SF – Elliott. SB – Burdette 2, Coy. HBP – Egger 2, Coy, Long.