NASHVILLE – A six-run ninth by the Lipscomb University baseball team forced a Tuesday afternoon contest with the University of Evansville to extra innings. In the bottom of the 13th, a
David Coppedge fielder's choice sealed the 11-10 victory over the Purple Aces inside Ken Dugan Field.
Final Score: Lipscomb 11, Evansville 10 (13 innings)
Location: Ken Dugan Field
Records: Lipscomb (2-1), Evansville (0-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Purple Aces had no problems getting runners on base in the first couple of innings, but it was getting them in was the problem. With the bases loaded and nobody out, an infield fly by Brodie Peart and a Evan Waggoner double play ended the early threat.
Lipscomb, on the other hand, was able to score the runners they were getting on base, as a sac fly by
Keaton Mahan and the second error of the inning by Evansville allowed
Parks Bouck to cross home plate.
In the second, it was almost a rinse and repeat for starter
Tanner Lyne. With the bases loaded again, Harrison Taubert put the Aces on the board with an RBI single, but a lineout on the next play ended the threat and saw the visitors leave five men on base through two innings.
The Bisons answered by cashing in a lead-off double by
Damion Kenealy Jr, as
Aaron Stelogeannis brought him across the plate on a knock to improve their lead to 3-1.
After an RBI single in the fifth, Evansville took its first lead of the game with a two-run homer by Kevin McCormick. The Aces added a third run later to take a 5-3 lead.
In the eighth, the visitors added three runs and one in the ninth for a six-run cushion, 9-3, but the Bisons were able to let the air out of that cushion in the bottom of the ninth.
They were patient at the plate, forcing the Evansville pitching staff to four walks, including a bases-loaded free pass by Mahan. After a Coppedge sac fly to make it 9-6 with two outs,
Jacob Tobias changed the game for everyone, as his three-run bomb over the right field wall evened the game back up at nine runs apiece.
The Bisons did bat around in the inning, but the contest went into extras.
After
Kaleb Kantola struck out the side and stranding a runner in scoring position in the 10th,
Bryce Houghton pitched the next two, and they were nearly similar. Both times, the inning was concluded with a double play.
In the 13th, the Aces used a lead-off hit by pitch that later touched home plate and gave the lead back to the first base dugout, 10-9.
In the bottom half, Evansville's sixth error of the afternoon proved to be a costly one, as that allowed Stelogeannis to reach and
Jake Berg followed with a walk.
Following a sac but by Bouck and an intentional walk by Mahan, Coppedge hit the ball to the left side for what looked like to be a tailor-made 5-4-3 double play, but a high throw from the Evansville second baseball the tying run, Stelogeannis, and the winning run, Berg, to score to send the home crowd happy after a nearly four and a half hour marathon.
KEY STATISTICS
Jacob Tobias's first Lipscomb homer came in a big way on Tuesday, as he drove in three RBI on the bomb in the ninth.
Jake Berg and
Parks Bouck each had two hits and two runs scored in the contest, while
Aaron Stelogeannis scored three times.
David Coppedge and
Keaton Mahan also had two RBI in the win.
Tanner Lyne started the contest for Lipscomb and allowed one unearned run in four innings.
After the Bisons tied it up in the ninth, the bullpen settled in.
Bryce Houghton tossed two shutout innings that saw inning-ending twin killings in both frames.
Cole O'Brien (1-0) tossed the 13th inning and struck out two.
HERD NOTES
The 13 inning-win for Lipscomb matched the most innings in a game since 2020, when they also went 13 with Alabama on March 6.
Additionally, the 13-inning affair matched the longest game in terms of innings at home.
UP NEXT
Weather permitting, the Bisons will next host West Virginia in a three-game series starting on Friday. Stay tuned for updates on social media and on lipscombsports.com for updates.
