Evansville Rallies For 10-6 Win Over Lehigh In Charlottesville Regional
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June 3, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Evansville Purple Aces remained alive in the Charlottesville Regional with a 10-6 come-from-behind victory over Lehigh in an elimination game Saturday at Davenport Field. Evansville scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to erase a three-run deficit, capped by Robbie Minor’s walk-off grand slam.
Minor went 2 for 4 in the game with 5 RBIs, including the game-winning home run, which was the first of his career. Jim Viscomi went 3 for 5 for Evansville with 3 RBIs. Joe Ercolano led Lehigh by going 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
The Mountain Hawks (28-28) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Ercolano opened the game with a single. He scored when Matt Geiger hit a double to left center field, and advanced to third on an error. Matt McBride drove Geiger home with a sacrifice fly.
Lehigh added another run in the top of the fourth inning. Mike Sandonato led off the inning with a double. He moved over to third on a groundout and scored on David Moscow’s sacrifice bunt.
Evansville (41-21) tied up the game in the bottom of the fourth. Pat Tumility hit a double and scored on Minor’s single. Kyle Smith singled and Gabe Bauer walked to load the bases. Viscomi doubled to left center to score Minor and Smith, but was thrown out at third to end the inning with the score tied at 3-3.
The Mountain Hawks retook the lead in the top of the seventh with three runs. Moscow doubled down the right field line, and then scored as Ercolano hit a two-run home run over the right field wall. Geiger followed with a single, and scored on McBride’s double when the left field misplayed the ball in the corner.
In the bottom of the ninth, Evansville rallied for the victory. Jeff Zelenovich singled to start the inning. Smith then reached on a fielder’s choice as Zelenovich was out at second. Pinch-hitter Jeff Fontaine’s double gave the Purple Aces runners on second and third with one out. Viscomi drove home Smith with a RBI single to make the score 6-4. Lehigh brought in Leland Weisband to pitch to Kern Watts, who singled up the middle to score Fontaine. On the play, the second baseman dropped the cut off throw, which allowed Viscomi to score the game’s tying run. With Kern advancing to second on the play, Lehigh then intentionally walked Kasey Wahl, which gave Evansville runners on first and second with one out. Sandonato was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases for Tumilty. The Mountain Hawks brought in Geoff Campbell to face Tumilty and he struck him out for the second out of the inning. Campbell then fell behind Minor 3-0, but then got two called strikes to make the count full. On the 3-2 pitch, Minor ended the game with his walk-off grand slam into the left field bleachers.
Matt Brinkman got the win for Evansville after throwing two-and-a-third innings of shutout relief. Purple Aces starter Ben Norton went six-and-two-thirds innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits. Weisband took the loss for Lehigh. Mountain Hawks starter Joe Matteo went six innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits.
With the loss, Lehigh is eliminated from the regional. Evansville will play the loser of Saturday night’s Virginia-South Carolina game at 1 p.m. on Sunday in another elimination game.