Box Score
Cape Girardeau, Mo. (March 13, 2002) - The Southeast Baseball Team opened up its 2002 home season Wednesday with a disappointing loss to the Purple Aces of the University of Evansville by the score of 7-5.
Evansville opened up the scoring in the first inning as the lead-off hitter Joey Vandever would single and then proceed to steal second. Third basemen Mike Serafini grounded out to third to advance Vandever, and Blake Whealey hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Vandever. Southeast came into the game being outscored 16-0 in the first inning and that would move to 17-0.
Evansville got right back at it in the second inning as Anthony Albano reached on an error by second baseman Clemente Bonnilla. First baseman Luke Miller found his way to first, as well as he reached on an error by third baseman Denver Stuckey. DH Dan Robinson would sacrifice both runners up a base before catcher Michael Snyder would double over the head of center fielder Vern Hatton to score two runs. Shortstop Courtney Campbell came up next and doubled home Snyder bringing the total runs scored in the inning to three.
Southeast got on the board in their half of the second inning as Hatton singled and was later drove home on the first home run of the year by catcher Tristen McDonald. McDonald would hit a high drive to right field that would get up in the jet stream and find its way out of Capaha field. The two runs were all the Tribe could muster in the inning bringing the score to 3-2.
Evansville answered right back as they got a run of their own in the third on a sacrifice fly by Miller. Both teams would be scoreless until the fifth inning as Evansville got a run on a single by Serafini scoring Vandever. Southeast starter Brad Purcell was then replaced with Donnie Fuller. Fuller would get Evansville to ground into a double play and then got some help from McDonald to get out of the inning as the catcher would throw out one of his three runners on the day.
Redshirt freshman Eric Hoffman continued his hot bat as he hit a mammoth home run over the right field fence in the sixth inning to get the Tribe within two runs. Evansville got another run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning for their last score of the day, making the score 7-3.
Southeast mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth as Bonilla walked to lead off the inning, making him the sole leader in the Ohio Valley Conference for career walks with 168. The senior second baseman also became the Southeast career leader in assists last weekend at Memphis. Ryan Govek would follow Bonilla with a double to right field advancing him to third. Junior Zach Borowiak came up next and singled to right field scoring Bonilla and advancing Govek to third. Senior Brian Hopkins grounded into a fielders choice forcing out Borowiak, but got the RBI as Govek would score. That would be the extent of the scoring for the Indians as they fell to Evansville, 7-5.
Leading the Tribe on the day was Borowiak who went 3-4 with one RBI. McDonald and Hoffman would both homer to right field and McDonald had two RBI's on the day. Hoffman's homer was his first of his career. Three errors would due in the Tribe as only four of the seven runs were earned in the contest.
Southeast head coach Mark Hogan said he was proud to see the bats of Hoffman and McDonald come alive, but couldn't put enough emphasis on what kind of record it was for Bonilla to become the all-time walks leader.
"This is a milestone for him," Hogan said. "He broke a record from someone that was a heck of a ball player and I have seen every one of his walks. I cannot begin to say how important he is to our team."
Southeast will next play host to Culver-Stockton College in three games this weekend beginning with a double-header Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. and a single nine-inning affair on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
