Eureka Splits Season Finale at Principia

ELSAH, Ill. – Eureka baseball closed its season with a split at Principia on Saturday, taking game one 8-5 before falling 9-3 in the nightcap.

The series also marked the final game in a Red Devil uniform for Nate Cooley (Chillicothe, Ill./Illinois Valley Central), Hayden McKenna (Sheridan, Ill./Marquette Academy), Dylan Smith (Farina, Ill./South Central), Colin DeLaere (Pekin, Ill./Pekin), Ethan Patterson (Glasford, Ill./Illini Bluffs) and Kenyon Martin (Galena, Kan./Galena).

GAME 1: Eureka 8, Principia 5

Principia struck first with a run in the opening frame, but Eureka responded quickly in the second. Camden Smith (Florence, Ala./Florence) led off with a single and Joshua Stanley (Huntsville, Texas/Huntsville) followed with a walk to put two aboard. Ethan McDonald (Cleveland, Okla./Mannford) delivered an RBI single to tie the game, and Stanley later scored on an error to give the Red Devils a 2-1 advantage.

Eureka added to its lead in the fourth after Stanley singled, McDonald walked, and Jackson Slater (Huntsville, Texas/Huntsville) drew a walk to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Stanley to score, pushing the lead to 3-1. Principia answered with a solo home run in the bottom half to cut the deficit to one.

The Red Devils took control in the fifth inning. Nate Cooley worked a walk, Grant Hackney (Morton, Ill./Morton) was hit by a pitch, and Smith singled to load the bases. Dewrell Wesley (Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos) followed with a two-RBI single to make it 5-2. Stanley added a sacrifice fly, and a Principia error extended the lead to 7-2.

Eureka threatened again in the sixth as Noah Company (Le Roy, Ill./Le Roy) and Cooley singled, and Hackney walked to load the bases. Smith drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 8-2 before a pitching change limited further damage. Principia responded with two runs in the sixth and added another in the eighth, but Trevor Kinder (West Plains, Mo./West Plains) shut the door late, earning the save in the 8-5 win.

Smith finished 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, while Company went 2-for-4 with a walk and a double. McDonald led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance and an RBI, and Wesley drove in two runs.

Brayden Williams (Kansas, Okla./Salina) earned the win on the mound, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing four runs on eight hits. Kinder secured the save with 1.2 scoreless innings.

GAME 2: Principia 9, Eureka 3

After three scoreless innings, Principia broke through with a three-run home run in the fourth inning to take the early lead.

Eureka answered in the seventh when Conor Fitzpatrick (North Barrington, Ill./Barrington) doubled and later scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, the Panthers responded with a six-run inning to extend their lead to 9-1.

In the ninth, McDonald singled and Fitzpatrick walked to put two runners on. Both would come around to score on errors, trimming the deficit to 9-3, but Principia closed out the game to secure the split.

Fitzpatrick led the Red Devils at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. Cooley and Wesley each added two hits, while Stanley finished 2-for-5. Company recorded Eureka's lone RBI.

Kenyon Martin made the start, going six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits. Jake Steele (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) added 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.