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For Immediate Releaseeureka, illinois
May 1, 2008
Red Devils complete home slate 10-2, win 14-12 on Senior Day
EUREKA — For weeks, the late season St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match up between Eureka and Greenville College at Henry Sand Field loomed large for both teams' playoff hopes. It appeared it might even come down to an elimination game for both squads. The Red Devils, who were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the preseason poll, surprised the pundits by staying in the upper division of the conference the entire season. Greenville, selected to finish second in the preseason poll, began 6-9 in league play, but caught fire late.
After the Panthers took two games from Eureka on April 26, the Red Devils could nothing but watch from home as Greenville reeled off three more SLIAC wins to eliminate EC from playoff contention before they could get another chance to take the field. When the Red Devils (16-18, 13-10 SLIAC) finally got their shot at the Panthers (19-16, 14-10 SLIAC), they gained a measure of revenge and sent seniors Kyle Buchanan (Fairbury, Ill./Prairie Central), Troy Burd (Peoria, Ill./Woodruff) and Wade Furrow (El Paso, Ill./HS) out on a winning note with a 14-12 victory over Greenville on Senior Day. The Panthers' eight game winning streak was snapped in the process.
Nick Knoblauch (Metamora, Ill./HS) got Eureka off to a great start in the bottom of the first by launching a grand slam over the left field fence. Kyle Koerner (LeRoy, Ill./HS) then made it back-to-back round-trippers with a blast to left center for a 5-1 EC lead. Tyler Glaub (Metamora, Ill./HS) singled and sprinted home from first on an RBI single by Furrow to cap the Red Devils' six-run first inning.
Greenville roared back into the game with four runs in the second and three in the third to take its only lead of the game at 8-6. It would not last long as Eureka batted around three times in the first four innings of play to quickly regain the upper hand.
Koerner picked up an RBI double in the third stanza to get EC within 8-7, but the key play of the frame came on a well executed squeeze play by Keith Moore (Hamilton, Ill./HS). Not only did Moore's bunt knock in the tying run, but it was also dropped by the pitcher and Moore was safe at first. Burd and Brent Miller
The fourth inning was set up perfectly for the Red Devils to expand their lead as their No. 6-8 hitters were due up. Combined on the day, Knoblauch, Koerner and Glaub went 9-for-13 with nine runs scored and seven runs batted in. They did not disappoint in the fourth as Koerner walked and scored on Glaub's line shot double to the right center fence. Moore added a run scoring single later in the rally to put Eureka ahead 12-8.
Still, the stubborn Panthers refused to go away. They plated a pair of unearned tallies in the sixth, and tied the game at 12-12 on a two-run homer hit by Ross Cook in the seventh.
The game remained tied until the eighth when a big momentum shift went the Red Devils' way. In the top of the frame, the Panthers had runners on second and third with one out when a sure sacrifice fly was hit to left field. But after the go-ahead run had crossed the plate, it was determined he had left third base too early and Eureka escaped the jam still even with Greenville at 12.
The Red Devils took full advantage in the bottom of the inning as Glaub drew a lead off walk and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Furrow. In addition, Furrow was safe at first when the throw to the pitcher was dropped. After another sacrifice bunt by Moore moved two runners into scoring position, the Panthers set up to intentionally walk Benji Cashdollar (Morton, Ill./HS) to load the bases. However, the first pitch went to the backstop and Glaub raced home with the eventual winning run. Mike Wagner (Chicago, Ill./HS) added an insurance run for EC with a two-out RBI single to make the count 14-12.
In the ninth, the Red Devils turned their third double play of the game to short-circuit any rally by Greenville. Clay McConkey (Fairview, Ill./Spoon River Valley) earned the win in relief for Eureka. He pitched 5.2 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits, five walks and seven strikeouts. Buchanan started for the final time in his EC career, going the first 3.1 frames with two strikeouts.
The Red Devils had 10 two-out RBIs in the contest after hitting a robust .556 (10-for-18) with two outs. Glaub recorded a career-high in hits going 4-for-4 with four runs scored, an RBI and a walk. Moore tied a career-high with three hits. Knoblauch also had three hits en route to his third game this season with four RBIs. Miller was on base four times with two hits and two walks. Eureka out-hit Greenville 18-9 and overcame seven errors in the win.
The game ends the Red Devils' season as their final game scheduled at Fontbonne will not be played. Eureka scored 233 runs this season, which is 26 more runs scored than their two previous years combined. The Red Devils finish with an impressive 10-2 home record, including a 4-0 mark versus the four playoff teams competing in the SLIAC Post Season Tournament next week.
Eureka will rank as one of the most improved teams in the entire nation this season after posting an eight game improvement on last year's 7-25 record. As a team, the Red Devils hit 57 points higher for a club batting average of .311. The EC defense was better as well, allowing 54 unearned runs this season compared to 77 last year. Eureka had six players score over 20 runs and four drive in more than 20 after having only one player reach those benchmarks last season.
The E-Tribe Baseball Banquet is set of Sunday, May 18 at 1:00 pm in the Terrill Rooms of the Cerf Center. Eureka coach Mike McDonald will announce his team awards at that time.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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