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For Immediate Releaseeureka, illinois
March 20, 2009
Red Devils cooled off in home opener
Spalding University spoiled the Eureka College baseball team's home opener, sweeping both ends of a non-conference twin bill by scores of 5-0 and 4-0. The Red Devils' attack, which averaged 10 runs scored per game in posting a 10-2 home record last season, sputtered due to an 0-for-10 effort with runners in scoring position.
The Golden Eagles (4-18) jumped on the Red Devils (1-6-1) early in both contests. They did not score a run beyond the third inning in either game, but used a two-out single to bring in a pair of runs in the first inning and a one-out single for two more in the second to break open a 4-0 lead in the opener. A lead off homer in the third set the final count at 5-0.
Nick Eeten (Eureka, Ill./HS) recovered nicely to record his first complete game on the mound for Eureka. Of the final 19 batters Eeten faced, only one Golden Eagle managed a hit, and even that was a harmless single in the seventh. Overall, the junior righthander gave up seven hits and five runs over seven frames, while fanning three.
Unfortunately, the Red Devils just could not get in gear offensively in support of their starter. Eureka had runners on base in each of the first four innings, including men in scoring position in three of the frames. The best chance to get on the board came in the fourth after Nick Knoblauch (Metamora, Ill./HS) and Kyle Koerner (LeRoy, Ill./HS) had base hits to start the inning. Spalding even committed an error later to fill the bases with two outs, but a fly out to center ended the threat.
Spalding, which will join the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference next season to compete against EC on an annual basis, got shutouts from Justin Penland in game one and Corey Bush in game two.
Bush struck out 13 and Spalding scored four unearned tallies to complete the sweep in the nightcap. The Golden Eagles swooped in for the lead in the second inning, getting one run on a sacrifice fly after an error set up a first and third situation. They extended the lead to 4-0 in the third on two hits, an error and a hit by pitch.
Three Eureka relievers combined on four scoreless innings with four strikeouts to close out the game. Blake McConkey (Fairview, Ill./Spoon River Valley) went two innings, with Koerner and Tyler Glaub (Metamora, Ill./HS) splitting the final two. Starter Justin Fravell (East Peoria, Ill./HS) was tagged with the loss despite not allowing an earned run over two innings. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate.
The Red Devils will begin a three-game series with a doubleheader at conference rival Blackburn College Saturday, March 21 at 1:00 pm. The two sides will then travel to Eureka for a single game Sunday, March 22 starting at 2:00 pm.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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