Evangel edge Eutectics in opener, pour on offense in game two

Evangel banged out 14 hits in the opening game of a Tuesday doubleheader and UHSP committed four errors in game two as the Valor earned a twinbill sweep of the visitors, 14-10 and 18-6.

The opening contest was another wild affair for the Eutectics. They played to a 13-12 win Friday in their home opener over Calumet College. This time the game featured 24 runs, 27 hits and five errors combined. Both teams pounded the ball in a game that featured more than a handful of extra base hits. Evangel led 4-2 after the first as Jovonnie Bautista and Logan Stribling each collected RBI doubles to right. The Valor answered with the long-ball as Isaac Miller and Eli Cook homered to the deepest part of the park in centerfield to account for three of the four runs in the frame. After a quiet second, the two teams combined for nine runs in the third. Truett Gardner started for EU and went just the first two innings. Caden O'Bryan came on to start the third for Evangel, but the Eutectics got right to work on offense with Bautista racking up his second RBI double of the game. Malcolm Merriweather blasted a two-run homerun to left to give UHSP a 5-4 lead and then after singles from Stribling and Ruben Ogando, Jordan Gonzalez belted a three-run homer to left-center to pad the lead to 8-4. That chased O'Bryan in favor of Will Foster who got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.

UHSP starter Brayden Steves came on to start the third, but he would not be around to see the end of the frame. After back-to-back hits, Cook drove in two more with a single to left. Steves retired the next two batters, but following an RBI hit from Matthew Olsen Steves was lifted for Holden Campbell who got the final out to send to the fourth with UHSP leading 8-7.

In the home half of the fourth, EU took the lead on a sac fly and a Eutectic error. Four more Valor runs scored in the fifth, one on an error and the other three on a Riley Mitchell bomb to right center as the Valor grabbed a 13-8 lead. The Eutectics plated two in the sixth to climb within three on an Alston Morrell double and a sac fly from Nolan Harding. A Brooks Espy dinger in the bottom of the sixth capped the scoring on a Valor win. Foster got the win for Evangel allowing an unearned run over two-and-two-thirds while fanning four. Holden Campbell took the loss for UHSP going one-and-two-thirds in relief allowing four runs, three earned on just one hit, but walked three and struck out one. Bautista, Merriweather, Stribling, Ogando and Robert Uhlmeyer all had two hits for the Eutectics.

In game two, Pierce Love got the start for UHSP while Cooper Wilken toed the rubber for the home club. Neither pitcher made it to the third inning. The Eutectics scored three in the first as Malcom Merriweather hit his second longball of the day. Evangel struck for four in the bottom of the frame as Riley Matthews matched Merriweather with his second homer of the day and Jeremy Vickers doubled in a pair. In the second, Love faced one batter and departed after surrendering a leadoff walk. Maguire Wakelyn relieved Love and gave up two of the three EU runs in the inning. Two of the runs scored on UHSP errors with the other coming via a sac fly. Evangel got two more in the third to lead 9-3, but the Purple and Gold got those right back in the top of the fourth. Michael Morales singled to left to plate a run and later in the inning, Merriweather walked with the bases loaded. The clubs traded singleton runs over their respective next half innings as it was 10-6 after four and half. UHSP's run in the top of the fifth came on an RBI groundout from Barrett Bressette while the Valor scored four more in the home half of the sixth capped on a Levi Loughridge two-run homerun. Pierce Love took the loss for USHP allowing five runs on two hits over his one inning while walking three and fanning one. Wilken did not go deep enough to pick up the win for Evangel as Carson Dobberstein was credited with the victory.

Michael Morales went 3-for-4 in game two with an RBI while Merriweather was 1-for-3 with 4RBI. Merriweather drove in six on the day. Ruben Ogando and Caden Buxton also had two hits for UHSP. The Eutectics committed eight errors on the afternoon.

Next up for the Eutectics, they will wrap up the first half of what amounts to be a three city, six game road trip when they play a single contest Wednesday, March 6 at Missouri Valley. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00pm at Indian Foothills Park/Lyon Bowl in Marshall, Missouri.