SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel took on non-conference foe Oakland City on Tuesday in a nine-inning battle to the finish. Thanks to dominant relief pitching and timely hitting, EU came away with the victory, 3-2.
HIGHLIGHTS
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The Valor had a staff day, pitching four different arms after playing their fifth game in three days.
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Sam Tiller (1-0) recorded the victory after Evangel grabbed a lead with him on the mound. Noah Suiter recorded a four inning save, not allowing the Mighty Oaks to score any runs to tie the game.
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Offense was not a highlight for either team throughout the game as EU mustered a .133 batting average on just four hits with Oakland hitting .194 on six hits.
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Evangel committed no errors throughout the game as the Oaks recorded four that scored two Evangel runners.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Both teams struggled to get baserunners in the first few innings. Mason Hansen got on base after the left fielder dropped a flyout and advanced home on an error by the shortstop to give EU a 1-0 lead.
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Oakland City came alive in the fifth inning, scoring two batters after three consecutive hits to take a 2-1 lead.
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Evangel broke through the Mighty Oak lead the following half inning. Grant Kosanke reached first on a single that a diving Mighty Oak missed and Aidan Satterfield advanced all the way home after running for Kosanke on a Stephen Belcher bunt single and an error on Oakland City.
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Belcher was scored after Dalton Cook grounded into a fielder's choice, giving Evangel their final score lead of 3-2.
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After grabbing their lead, Suiter came in from playing right field to pitch four shutdown relief innings. Suiter allowed only one hit and struck out four batters to shut down the Mighty Oaks.
NOTABLE
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Suiter claimed his team leading third save of the season on Tuesday.
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Tiller recorded the third win on the mound in his career.
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Cook hit for 2 RBIs throughout the game, good for his 10th and 11th of the season.
UP NEXT
Evangel will hit the road and take on Heart South Conference foe Central Methodist on Saturday and Sunday (Mar. 19/20). Game one is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. in Fayette, Mo.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
