Red Devils Clinch First Four-Game Win Streak in Four Years
SHERMAN, Texas – The Eureka baseball team went 2-0 on the first day of its spring break Texas trip, clinching its first four-game winning streak in four years.
On Monday afternoon, the Red Devils came from behind to edge Capital 9-8, and then took down Austin 19-8 in a marathon nightcap.
The Red Devils are now 4-2 through six games for the first time in the program's modern era (since 2000).
Game 1: Eureka 9, Capital 8
The Red Devils came out on top of a back-and-forth battle after Karter Hostetler (Morton, Ill./Morton) drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning and Mason Diederich (Washington, Ill./Washington) closed out the ninth.
Diederich, who came on in the sixth and pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings, struck out the leadoff batter, conceded a single and a walk before getting a strikeout and fly-out to preserve the win. He allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.
Braden Cox (Washington, Ill./Illini Bluffs/Black Hawk) went yard twice – his first two home runs as a Red Devils – driving in four and scoring three times. The first was a two-run homer in the first inning that gave Eureka a 2-0 advantage. The second was another two-run shot in the sixth, which tied the game at 8-8.
Hostetler went 3-for-3 on the day with a double and three RBIs, while Caleb Wilson (Houma, La./Covington Christian) went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored three times in the leadoff spot.
In the second inning, Wilson drove in Hostetler, who led off with a double, to give Eureka a 3-0 lead.
Capital scored twice on three straight hits in the third to make it 3-2 in the third inning, then chased Eureka starting pitcher Ryan Bredeson (Washington, Ill./Washington) after scoring four runs on three hits and an error in the fourth to take a 6-3 lead.
Bredeson, a sophomore, exited after allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks and striking out four in 3 2/3 innings. Another sophomore, Trevor Wingard (Decatur, Ill./Meridian) took his place and got a strikeout to get out of the jam.
Trailing 6-3, the Red Devils got two back in the fifth after Hostetler delivered a two-run single with two outs and runners on second and third to make it a one-run game.
Capital started off the sixth inning with back-to-back doubles to make it 7-5. After Capital got runners on the corners with a groundout and a walk, Diederich took over for Wingard. Capital scored another run on a balk, but Diederich fanned two batters to end the inning there.
In the bottom of the sixth, Austin Davis (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) reached on an error, Wilson was hit by a pitch, Nick Rulevish (Addieville, Ill./Okawville) grounded out to move both runners into scoring position for Jimmy Peterson (Bloomington, Ill./Homeschooled/Monmouth). Peterson grounded out to second, driving in Eureka's sixth run.
Then, with Wilson on third, Cox launched his second dinger of the day to tie the game.
Diederich got a groundout and a pair of strikeouts in the seventh, and the Red Devils got a runner on twice in the second half, but they were unable to manufacture the go-ahead run.
It finally arrived in the bottom of the eighth. Wilson set it up with a leadoff walk. Rulevish moved him to second with a sac bunt, and a sac fly by Peterson later, Capital elected to intentionally walk Cox. Diederich was then hit by a pitch to load the bases for Hostetler, who finally drove in what ended up being the game-winning run.
Game 2: Eureka 19, Austin 8
In the late game, the Red Devils mashed a season-high 16 hits, scored a season-high 19 runs and took advantage of 10 errors from the home team.
It was the most runs the team has tallied since beating Iowa Wesleyan 25-7 on April 1, 2019.
Davis went 4-for-6 and had three RBIs, recording the first four-hit performance of his career.
Lane Marlow (Camp Point, Ill./Camp Point Central/Roosevelt) tallied three hits, including a triple and a double and drove in two runs in his first multi-hit game as a Red Devil.
Freshman David Hidden (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), who posted his first career hit in the game, finished with three hits and drove in three runs. Cox added two more hits and two RBIs.
Nathan Garard (Gibson City, Ill./Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley) and Kelton O'Grady (Camp Verde, Ariz./Camp Verde) both doubled.
Peterson and Hostetler both contributed base hits as well.
Eureka racked up six runs in the first two innings and led 7-3 after six. The Red Devils then scored 12 more runs in the last three innings.
Tate Stone (Washington, Ill./Washington) recorded his first career win after taking over for Parker Brodine (Brimfield, Ill./Elmwood-Brimfield) in the fifth and allowing one run on one hit and two walks and striking out four two innings of work.
Brodine allowed two runs on two hits in four innings, walking six and striking out three. David Throw (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove) replaced Stone and recorded a scoreless seventh inning before allowing five runs on six hits in the eighth.
Rulevish made his collegiate pitching debut in the ninth and turned in a scoreless inning to end, finishing a long of day of baseball with a swinging strikeout.
Up Next
On Day 2 of the Texas trip, the Red Devils (4-2) are set to take on Dallas Christian Baptist (4-11) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday.