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June 4, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Evansville Purple Aces avoided elimination and forced a championship game in the Charlottesville Regional with a 15-5 win over South Carolina Sunday night at Davenport Field. The teams will meet again Monday night at 6 p.m. with the winner advancing to a Super Regional.
Kern Watts and Robbie Minor led the Evansville offense, which scored 15 runs for the second consecutive game. Watts went 3 for 4 and scored three runs, while Minor went 2 for 5 and drove in 4 runs.
Mitch Prout went six and two thirds innings for Evansville, allowing five runs on eight hits to get the win. He improved to 2-1 on the season. Forrest Beverly took the loss for South Carolina, falling to 6-3 on the year.
South Carolina jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Trent Kline hit a one out double. Phil Giesler followed with a single, but Kline was thrown out at the plate trying to score. After Justin Smoak walked, Phil Disher hit his second home run of the regional and fourth of the season, to put the Gamecocks up 3-0.
Evansville responded with 12 runs in the bottom of the third inning. Kyle Smith started the rally with a one out walk. Gabe Bauer singled, which moved Smith to third. Jim Viscomi then reached on an error, which allowed Smith to score on the play. Watts singled to center, which scored Bauer for the Purple Aces’ second run. Kasey Wahl followed with a single to left, which scored Viscomi to tie the game. After Kirk Bascu walked to load the bases, Pat Tumilty hit a chopper back to the mound that was misplayed by the pitcher allowing Tumilty to reach base and Watts to score the go-ahead run. Minor extended the lead as he hit a single to right to score Wahl and Bascu. After a Zelenovich groundout advanced the runners to second and third, Smith was hit to load the bases again. Bauer singled down the right field line to score Tumilty and Minor. Viscomi walked to reload the bases just before play was halted due to rain. After a delay of just over an hour, play resumed with Watts drawing a walk to force in a run. Wahl hit a ball up the middle that was misplayed by the shortstop to allow the tenth run of the inning to score. Bascu drew his second walk of the inning to force in the 11th run for Evansville. With Tumilty at bat, Watts scored and the other runners advanced a base on a pass ball. Tumilty then walked to reload the bases again. Minor then grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning with the Purple Aces leading 12-3.
The Gamecocks cut into the lead with two runs in the top of the seventh. Andrew Crisp led off the inning with a home run over the left field wall. It was his fifth home run of the season. Chris Brown was hit by a pitch, and moved to second on James Darnell’s groundout. Brown advanced to third on Reese Havens’ single and scored on Cheyne Hurst’s sacrifice fly. Kline was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, but Matt Brinkmann came in to pitch for the Purple Aces and struck out Giesler to end the inning.
Evansville scored in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Watts was on first after singling. Bascu walked before Tumilty doubled down the left field line to score Watts. Minor singled up the middle to score Bascu and Tumilty to increase the lead to 15-5.
The teams will meet again at 6 p.m. on Monday. The winner will meet the winner of the Athens Regional in a Super Regional next weekend. Georgia and Florida State will play in the championship game of the Athens Regional on Monday.
Tickets for Monday’s game are on sale online at www.virginiasports.com, and will be on sale throughout the day at the ticket office in Bryant Hall. Tickets will also be on sale at Davenport Field beginning at 4 p.m.