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For Immediate ReleaseBaseball -- April 23, 2012
Eureka Baseball Topples SLIAC Leader Webster, 11-6
EUREKA, Ill. – Eureka College sophomore catcher Trevor Teal (Delavan, Ill./Delavan H.S.) went 5-for-5 with six RBI, becoming the first Red Devil to have a five-hit performance in more than four years in Eureka’s 11-6 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over league-leading Webster, Monday afternoon at Henry Sand Field. Eureka’s victory snapped a 12-game losing streak in the all-time series against the Gorloks.
Teal became the first Eureka baseball player to collect five hits in a single game since Nick Knoblauch went 5-for-5 on April 15, 2008 at Lincoln Christian. Teal’s effort also marked the first-ever five-hit game for a Eureka baseball player against a SLIAC opponent. Teal’s RBI total on Monday was Eureka’s best individual effort in a single game since Alex Hess drove in seven runs in a win over Spalding on May 3, 2011.
Webster (22-10, 14-2 SLIAC) got on the board in the first inning, scoring twice against Eureka sophomore starter Nate Louis (Putnam, Ill./Henry-Senachwine H.S.). Leadoff batter Cody Stevenson walked to open the game, stole second and scored the first run of the afternoon on an RBI single from Taylor Stoulp for a 1-0 lead. Two batters later Mike Rainbolt singled home Tom Henke for a 2-0 cushion.
Eureka (10-21, 8-11 SLIAC) fired right back with four runs of its own in the bottom half of the first. Sophomore shortstop Grant DeWitt (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County H.S.) singled, stole second base and later scored on a Webster throwing error to cut the deficit in half. Senior center fielder Michael Hammerstrand (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington H.S.) tied the game with his run-scoring single before Teal drilled a two-run single for a 4-2 cushion.
Webster regained the lead with a three-run third inning. Mitchell Bonds drilled a one-out RBI single in front of Matt Moore, who ripped a two-run single to give the visitors a 5-4 advantage. Webster’s lead would be short-lived, as the hosts answered with two runs in the bottom half of the frame to regain the lead for good. After a two-out double from Hammerstrand, Teal singled to left-center to score Hammerstrand for a 5-5 tie. Senior third baseman Eric Cuevas (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Curie H.S./Roosevelt) later coaxed a bases-loaded walk against Webster reliever Shaheen Shabrou for the 6-5 cushion.
The score remained 6-5 in favor of the Red Devils until Eureka tacked on three insurance tallies in the sixth. DeWitt drilled his second career home run after Cuevas led off the inning with a walk to give Eureka an 8-5 advantage. Five batters later, Teal added a run-scoring infield single to score junior left fielder Eric Lopez (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes H.S./Lake County) with two outs in the frame for a 9-5 lead.
Webster got a run back in the seventh thanks to a bases-loaded walk, but Eureka answered with two more runs in the bottom half of the eighth on Teal’s fifth hit of the afternoon, a two-run triple down the right field line that plated Hammerstrand and Lopez for an 11-6 advantage.
DeWitt, Lopez, junior first baseman Kevin Dooley (Normal, Ill./Normal Community H.S./Spoon River) and Hammerstrand joined Teal as Red Devils to have a multi-hit game. The Red Devils banged out 17 hits against a Webster pitching staff that entered the day with the SLIAC’s second-lowest team earned run average. The 17 hits marked Eureka’s best effort in a conference game since picking up 19 hits in a 16-7 triumph over MacMurray on March 30, 2010.
Louis settled in after a bumpy start to his outing, earning his second win of the season after yielding five earned runs over 7.0 innings. Sophomore Stephen Davis (Mackinaw, Ill./Deer Creek-Mackinaw H.S.) allowed only one hit over 2.0 scoreless innings to pick up his third save of the campaign.
Monday’s win over Webster was Eureka’s first since a 10-7 victory on April 5, 2008, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive losses to the Gorloks. The Red Devils and Gorloks will wrap up their three-game SLIAC series Tuesday with a noon doubleheader at Henry Sand Field.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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