Wright, Tofteland help Indiana State to doubleheader sweep

Great Lake Canadians grad Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) had four hits - including a three-run home run - to help the Indiana State Sycamores to a doubleheader sweep of Evansville on Sunday. Photo: Indiana State Athletics (file photo)

April 21, 2019

By Tim McCaughan

Indiana State Athletics

Sycamores Sweep Sunday Doubleheader to Claim Series Win at Evansville

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Indiana State baseball earned a series win Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of Evansville at Braun Stadium. The Sycamores picked up an 8-2 victory in the opener before taking the nightcap, 6-4. ISU improved to 29-9 on the season and 6-3 in Missouri valley Conference play while the Aces fall to 19-17 overall and 6-3 in MVC action.

Game One - Indiana State 8, Evansville 2

Junior right-hander Collin Liberatore tossed eight complete innings during an 8-2 victory in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader with Evansville. Liberatore was able to strikeout two Aces as he worked out of several innings with Evansville putting men on base. Allowing just two earned runs in the game, Liberatore improved to 7-0 on the season with the win.

Clay Dungan led off the game with his sixth double of the season to the wall in right field. Romero Harris then sent a ball deep to center field to bring in Dungan two batters later for his 24th RBI of the year.

If it wasn’t for the netting protecting pedestrians and automobiles, Grande Praire, Alta., native Dane Tofteland’s solo home run in the second inning would have found the Lloyd Expressway as the senior belted the fifth pitch of the at bat out to left field to extend Indiana State’s lead. The Sycamores added one more run in the second when Max Wright (Toronto, Ont.) scored on a wild pitch as the Trees pushed their lead to 3-0.

The Aces would get a run back in the fourth when Sam Troyer doubled in a run to get the Aces on the board.

The Sycamores opened the game up in the eighth, scoring five runs on four hits and an error. Jake Means and Romero Harris led off the inning with back-to-back singles before Tofteland notched his second and third RBI’s of the game with a single through the left side.

In the very next at bat, Indiana State’s Wright belted a three-run home run over the wall in right-center to cap off the five-run inning. It marked the fourth home run of the season for the junior and the 26th of the year for the Sycamores.

Evansville picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth, but Geremy Guerrero shut down the Aces in the ninth to close out the game.

ISU outhit the Aces 11-10 in the ballgame led by Tofteland and Dungan who each tallied a pair of base hits and three RBI each.

Nathan Croner fell to 5-4 on the year after allowing three runs in six innings of play. Shane Gray went two innings for the Aces, allowing five runs while David Ellis tossed a one-hit eighth inning.

Game Two - Indiana State 6, Evansville 4

The Sycamores used stellar bullpen pitching and clutch hitting to clinch the series victory with the Aces, collecting a 6-4 win in the nightcap.

Senior Jarrod Watkins brought in the go-ahead run in the ninth with a bloop single to shallow left, scoring CJ Huntley who led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Roby Enriquez added an insurance run a batter later when he lined a ball to left field.

Tyler Grauer picked up the victory, moving to 2-2 on the year after getting the final two outs in the eight and completing the ninth inning. The left-hander allowed just one baserunner -- a leadoff single in the ninth -- but a line drive double play to first ended the game.

Right-hander Tyler Ward was phenomenal out of the bullpen for the Sycamores. The Rockport, Indiana native struck out six of the 15 batters he faced and allowed just two base hits over four innings in relief. He retired three of the first five batter he faced on strikeouts, including a strikeout looking to end the seventh after the Aces had runners on second and third in a tie ballgame.

The Sycamores rallied back from an early deficit after the Aces scored on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Tofteland continued his hot day at the plate in the second when he singled in Wright to tie the game at one.

Indiana State put up three runs in the fourth inning as the Sycamores took advantage of two walks, an error, a passed ball and a base hit to jump out to a 4-1 lead. Romero Harris led off the inning, reaching base on a throwing error before moving into scoring position on a wild pitch. Enriquez setup runners on the corners after working a walk.

Harris crossed the plate on a ball off the glove of catcher Ben Komonosky to make it 2-1 Sycamores. Chris Ayers recorded an RBI sacrifice fly to plate Enriquez and CJ Huntley singled in Wright on a ball to center field to push the Advantage to 4-1.

The Aces struck back in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run from AJ Fritz to pull UE within one. Troy Beilsmith followed the homer with a triple to right-center and tied the game when Matthew Jones lined a ball to left.

Both bullpens shut down the offences for the next three innings as Ward pitched four scoreless and UE’s Alex Weigand went three innings and allowed just two hits. Michael Parks was the pitcher of record for the Aces after allowing the go-ahead runs in the ninth, falling to 1-2 on the season.

Tyler Whitbread picked up the no decision after allowing four runs - three unearned - and four hits in three and a third innings.

Huntley led the Sycamores with three base hits while driving in a run and scoring once. Watkins, Wright and Tofteland each tallied two hits in the nightcap as the Sycamores outhit Evansville, 10-7.

Up Next

The Sycamores will be back in action next weekend as Southern Illinois comes to town for a three-game series.