Red Devils Fall Twice at Spalding

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Eureka baseball team fell in the first two games of its series against Spalding on Friday afternoon, falling 4-1 in the opener and 12-7 in the game two.

GAME 1: Spalding 4, Eureka 1

In the opener, Dylan Smith (Farina, Ill./South Central) wasted no time getting Eureka on the board, launching a solo home run in the top of the first inning to give the Red Devils a 1-0 advantage. Spalding responded in the bottom half of the inning, using a leadoff walk, a stolen base, and an RBI single to even the score at 1-1. Connor Metz (Tinley Park, Ill./Victor J. Andrew) settled in from there, holding Spalding scoreless over the next four innings as the game remained tied through five.

Eureka threatened to regain the lead in the second inning after putting runners on the corners with one out, but could not capitalize. The Golden Eagles broke through in the sixth inning after a single and a walk to open the frame, prompting Eureka to turn to Nolan Hudson (Spencer, Ind./Edgewood) out of the bullpen. A bases-loaded single, followed by a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch, allowed Spalding to take a 3-1 lead. Spalding added an insurance run in the eighth and held Eureka off the board the rest of the way to secure the 4-1 win. Andrew Zimmerman (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) and Grant Hackney (Morton, Ill./Morton) each finished with two hits, while Camden Smith (Florence, Ala./Florence) and Gabe Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) accounted for the other hits. Metz tossed 5.0 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits with six walks and four strikeouts, while Hudson worked 3.0 innings in relief.

GAME 2: Spalding 12, Eureka 7

In game two, Spalding again scored early, plating two runs in the first inning and adding four more in the third to build a 6-0 lead. Eureka began to chip away in the fifth inning as Joshua Stanley (Huntsville, Texas/Huntsville) led off with a walk and stole both second and third before coming home on a throwing error. Peters followed with an RBI double, and after the Red Devils loaded the bases, Hackney brought home another run on a fielder's choice to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Spalding answered with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to extend its lead to 9-3, but Eureka responded again in the seventh inning. Peters singled to lead off the frame, and Hackney and Josh Frenden (New Port Richey, Fla./River Ridge) each delivered RBI singles to trim the deficit to 9-5. The Golden Eagles countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to push the advantage to 12-5.

Eureka mounted a final rally in the ninth as Dylan Smith reached on an error to begin the inning and Hackney followed with a walk. Camden Smith later singled to drive in a run, and Montrez West (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) added another RBI single to cut the deficit to 12-7 and load the bases with one out, but Spalding was able to escape the jam to complete the sweep of the doubleheader.

Hackney led the offensive effort in game two, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk, while Peters went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Ethan McDonald (Cleveland, Okla./Mannford) made the start on the mound and worked 3.0 innings, allowing six runs, while Jake Steele (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) surrendered one run over 2.0 innings in relief. Trevor Kinder (West Plains, Mo./West Plains) added a scoreless eighth inning.

UP NEXT

Eureka will look to salvage the series finale on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.