Eureka Drops Home-Opening Doubleheader to Carroll

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka baseball team dropped both games of its home-opening doubleheader against Carroll on Saturday, falling 3-0 in game one and 14-7 in game two.

GAME 1: Eureka 0, Carroll 3

The opener turned into a pitchers' duel between Carroll's Erik Jaschinski and Eureka's Ethan McDonald (Cleveland, Okla./Mannford). Jaschinski tossed six no-hit innings, while McDonald matched him with seven scoreless frames to keep the game deadlocked through seven.

McDonald began the eighth inning but issued back-to-back walks to open the frame. Emilio Villanueva (Houston, Texas/Milby) entered in relief, and after a bunt moved the runners to second and third, an error allowed the first run of the game to score. Carroll added a second run on another bunt that brought home the runner from third and later capped the inning with an RBI single to take a 3-0 lead.

Eureka was unable to generate offense down the stretch as Carroll completed the shutout victory.

Andrew Zimmerman (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) recorded the lone hit of the game for the Red Devils. McDonald worked 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six. Villanueva surrendered one hit and no earned runs in 1.0 inning of relief. Kenyon Martin (Galena, Kan./Galena) pitched the ninth, allowing no runs on two hits.

GAME 2: Eureka 7, Carroll 14

In the second game, Noah Company (Le Roy, Ill./Le Roy) got the start on the mound and worked a scoreless first inning. The Red Devils' offense came alive early in support.

Zimmerman led off the bottom of the first with a single, followed by a base hit from Dewrell Wesley (Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos). Grant Hackney (Morton, Ill./Morton) drove in Zimmerman with a single to open the scoring, and Griffin Klein (Bowie, Md./Bowie) followed with a bunt single to plate another run for a 2-0 lead. After Camden Smith (Florence, Ala./Florence) was hit by a pitch, Josh Frenden (New Port Richey, Fla./River Ridge) grounded into a double play but brought home a run to give Eureka a 3-0 advantage after one inning.

Carroll cut into the lead with a two-run double in the third to make it 3-2, but Eureka answered in the bottom half. Wesley singled to start the inning, and Hackney doubled to score him. Smith later laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring Hackney home, pushing the lead to 5-2. Frenden followed with a double, and Conor Fitzpatrick (North Barrington, Ill./Barrington) singled to score Frenden and extend the margin to 6-2 after three innings.

Both teams were held in check until the seventh, when Carroll hit a two-run home run to trim the deficit to 6-4. The momentum shifted in the eighth as Carroll mounted a two-out rally, scoring eight runs to take a 12-6 lead.

Eureka managed to push across a run in the bottom of the eighth. Smith singled and Frenden doubled before Montrez West (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) grounded out, driving in a run to make it 12-7. Carroll added two more runs in the ninth, and Eureka was unable to respond as the visitors completed the comeback.

Hackney finished 4 for 5 with two RBIs, a double, and two runs scored. Frenden went 2 for 3 with two doubles, a walk, and an RBI. Wesley added three hits, including a double, and scored twice.

Company pitched 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks. Hayden McKenna (Sheridan, Ill./Marquette Academy) added 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits and one walk.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Knox for a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for noon.