Red Devils Battle Hard but Fall Short in Doubleheader Against Wooster

WOOSTER, Ohio – The Red Devils fought hard on the road but came up short in a pair of close matchups against Wooster on Saturday. Eureka dropped Game 1 by a score of 6-2 before taking the Scots to extra innings in Game 2, ultimately falling 6-5 in a nail-biting 10-inning contest.

GAME 1 – Wooster 6, Eureka 2

The Red Devils fell to Wooster 6-2 in the first game of the day.

The Red Devils struck first in the opening inning as Mike Dunne (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone) doubled to left field and later scored on Ben Perrine's (Payson, Ill./Payson Seymour) groundout, giving Eureka an early 1-0 lead. However, the Scots quickly responded, leveling the score at 1-1 by the end of the first.

Wooster pulled ahead in the middle innings, taking a 5-1 lead before the Red Devils found some late-game momentum. In the seventh, Hayden McKenna (Sheridan, Ill./Marquette Academy) singled through the left side and advanced to third on Joshua Frenden's (New Port Richey, Fla./River Ridge) single. Jon Leon Guerrero (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) then reached on a fielder's choice, allowing McKenna to score and cutting the deficit to 5-2.

Eureka attempted to rally in the eighth, with Mike Dunne and Ben Perrine both singling to put runners on first and second. However, the Red Devils were unable to capitalize. In the ninth, Joshua Frenden was hit by a pitch and replaced by Chace Hunt (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc), who advanced to second on a single by Guerrero, but Wooster's defense held firm to secure the win.

GAME NOTES

• Ben Perrine led the offense, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
• Jon Leon Guerrero contributed with a hit, an RBI, and two stolen bases.
• Sheldon Geuvens (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) provided a strong relief effort, tossing three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and only two hits allowed.

GAME 2 – Wooster 6, Eureka 5 (10 Innings)

Eureka battled to the wire in the second game but fell to Wooster in a nail-biting 6-5 extra-inning loss. The Red Devils pushed the Scots to 10 innings after a late rally in the ninth.

Eureka struck first in the third inning when David Hidden (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) launched a solo home run to left field, giving the Red Devils a 1-0 lead. The pitching staff and defense kept Wooster off the board through five innings before the Scots broke through in the sixth. A sacrifice fly by Kramer, followed by RBI doubles from Pett and Rizzo, turned the tide and put Wooster ahead 3-1.

Eureka added a run in the seventh after Ethan Hedge (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) led off the inning with a double and eventually scored on Jon Leon Guerrero's sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

The Red Devils showed resilience in the ninth inning, down to their final strike twice before staging a comeback. Jon Leon Guerrero delivered a two-out RBI single, tying the game at 3-3. Ace Padilla (Castle Rock, Colo./Grayslake North) then came through with a clutch double down the left-field line, driving in two runs and putting Eureka back on top, 5-3. However, Wooster responded in the bottom half of the inning, plating two runs of their own to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, Eureka loaded the bases after a single by Nickolas Cartmill (Fort Worth, Texas/Burleson) and back-to-back walks. However, Wooster escaped the jam unscathed, as the Red Devils left all three runners stranded. In the bottom half, the Scots advanced a runner from first to third on a wild pitch and a defensive miscue before a walk-off sacrifice fly by Gerdenich sealed their 6-5 victory.

GAME NOTES

• David Hidden led the offense with two hits, including a home run, and one RBI.
• Jon Leon Guerrero contributed a hit, two RBIs, and a run scored.
• Ace Padilla came through in the clutch with a two-RBI double in the ninth.
• Ethan McDonald (Mannford, Okla./Mannford) delivered a solid start, going 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts, allowing just four hits and three earned runs.

UP NEXT

Eureka looks to bounce back as they travel to Wabash for a midweek showdown on Tuesday, March 18. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. as the Red Devils aim to return to the win column.