Red Devils’ Early Lead Vanishes in 12-11 Loss at Wabash

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – The Eureka baseball team saw an early lead slip away in a 12-11 loss at Wabash on Monday.

Eureka came out swinging in the top of the first inning. Noah Company (Le Roy, Ill./Le Roy) reached after being hit by a pitch to open the game, and Grant Hackney (Morton, Ill./Morton) followed with an RBI single to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead. Dewrell Wesley (Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos) kept the rally going with a single before Nate Cooley (Chillicothe, Ill./Illinois Valley Central) drove in another run with a base hit. A Wabash error allowed a third run to score, pushing Eureka ahead 3-0.

The Red Devils continued to build momentum in the second inning. Montrez West (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) led off with a single, and Joe Clark (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) followed with a bunt single that helped West score on a Wabash error. Andrew Zimmerman (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) added an RBI single, and Camden Smith (Florence, Ala./Florence) capped the inning with another RBI base hit to extend the lead to 6-0.

Starting pitcher Drew Danehl (Highland, Ind./Thornton Fractional South) was dominant early, opening his outing with five scoreless innings on the mound and keeping Wabash off the scoreboard through the first half of the game.

After three scoreless frames, Eureka added to its lead in the sixth. Cooley drew a leadoff walk, Jackson Slater (Huntsville, Texas/Huntsville) was hit by a pitch, and Clark walked to load the bases. Zimmerman lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in a run, and Company followed with an RBI double to stretch the lead to 8-0.

Wabash responded with a decisive inning in the bottom of the sixth, scoring 12 runs to take a 12-8 lead.

Eureka chipped away in the eighth inning. Clark, Zimmerman, and Company recorded consecutive singles to load the bases before Hackney was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run to make it 12-9.

The Red Devils mounted a final push in the ninth. With two outs, West and Clark singled to keep the game alive, and Zimmerman worked a walk to load the bases. Company and Smith each drew bases-loaded walks to cut the deficit to 12-11, but Wabash recorded the final out after a pitching change to secure the win.

Zimmerman led Eureka at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs, and a run scored. Company finished 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBIs, and a run scored, while Clark went 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Cooley added two hits, an RBI, and a run scored, and both West and Wesley collected two hits apiece.

Danehl (5.2 IP) was charged with five runs on seven hits after opening with five scoreless innings. Colby Minshew (Mabank, Texas/Dallas Christian) provided relief, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns to action Tuesday with a home doubleheader against Maranatha Baptist beginning at 1 p.m. The Red Devils previously swept the Sabercats last week, winning 11-2 and 32-0.