Red Devils Sweep Blackburn, Move into Tie for 4th in SLIAC

CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka baseball team extended their SLIAC win streak to four on Saturday, completing a doubleheader sweep of Blackburn. With the victories, Eureka moved into a tie for 4th in the SLIAC, with just two conference games remaining.

GAME 1 – Eureka 11, Blackburn 8

Eureka jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, taking a 2-1 advantage after a pair of runs. Noah Company (Le Roy, Ill./Le Roy) doubled to center field and later came around to score, while Conor Fitzpatrick (North Barrington, Ill./Barrington) also reached base and eventually scored. Blackburn responded in the bottom of the first, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

The Red Devils extended their lead in the fourth inning as Ace Padilla (Castle Rock, Colo./Grayslake North) worked a walk and moved to third on singles by David Hidden (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) and Gabe Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington Community). Company then hit a sacrifice fly to bring Padilla home, making it 3-1. Eureka added another run in the seventh, when Ben Perrine (Payson, Ill./Payson Seymour) doubled and came around to score on a Padilla double, pushing the lead to 4-1.

However, Blackburn mounted a comeback in the seventh with a three-run rally, tying the game at 4-4. With momentum shifting in favor of the home team, the Red Devils responded with two runs in the eighth and a five-run outburst in the ninth. Brandt King (Rockford, Ill./Stillman Valley) drew a walk and scored, followed by Hidden and Peters crossing the plate on a hit by pitch and a sacrifice bunt. Grant Hackney (Morton, Ill./Morton) delivered a two-run single and later crossed home plate on a passed ball to give Eureka an 11-5 lead. Blackburn tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth but came up short, with Eureka holding on for an 11-8 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Mike Dunne (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone) was a standout with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate, driving in three runs and scoring a run.
• Grant Hackney, pinch-hitting in the ninth, came up clutch with a and two RBI single in his only at-bat.
• David Hidden collected three hits, scored once, and added an RBI.
• Nickolas Cartmill (Fort Worth, Texas/Burleson) reached base three times, scored twice, and recorded two hits.
• Ace Padilla and Brandt King also played key roles, with Padilla scoring two runs and King drawing two walks.

GAME 2 – Eureka 11, Blackburn 4

Eureka carried their offensive momentum into Game 2. After a slow start, Eureka tied the game at 2-2 in the second inning, thanks to a triple by Nickolas Cartmill, followed by an RBI single from Ace Padilla. The Red Devils took the lead in the fifth inning, as Cartmill reached base on an error, stole second, and scored on a single by David Hidden to make it 3-2.

Blackburn tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, but Eureka quickly regained the lead in the sixth with two runs. Ethan Hedge (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) reached base on an error, and Mike Dunne followed with a double to advance him to third. Brandt King then brought Hedge home with a single, and Cartmill laid down a sacrifice bunt, allowing Dunne to score, making it 5-3 in favor of the Red Devils.

In the eighth inning, Eureka broke the game open with a three-run rally. Jon Leon Guerrero (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) and Hedge reached base, setting the stage for Cartmill's two-run double. Padilla followed up with a single to score Cartmill, pushing the lead to 8-4. Eureka capped the scoring in the ninth with three more runs. Gabe Peters and Guerrero reached base, and Peters came home on an error. Further mistakes by Blackburn allowed both Hedge and Guerrero to cross the plate, sealing the 11-4 victory for the Red Devils.

GAME NOTES

• Nickolas Cartmill was a key contributor, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and scoring three times.
• Brandt King played a big role, contributing three RBIs and a hit.
• Mike Dunne had a standout day at the plate and on the mound. He finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and also pitched five innings, allowing three runs while striking out two.
• Ace Padilla added two hits, an RBI, and a run scored.
• David Hidden stayed hot with two hits, one RBI, and a run scored.
• Hayden McKenna (Sheridan, Ill./Marquette Academy) scored twice, added a hit, and drove in a run.

UP NEXT

Eureka will wrap up their weekend series with Blackburn tomorrow in a nonconference showdown at home, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.