EUREKA, Ill. – Eureka College freshman pitcher Bryan Meyer (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap H.S.) allowed only two earned runs to notch his second career complete-game victory in game one, and senior catcher Alex Hess (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S./Illinois Central) smashed two home runs on his way to collecting a career-high seven RBI in the nightcap, leading the Red Devils to a doubleheader sweep of St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference leader Spalding, Tuesday afternoon at Henry Sand Field. Eureka won the opener, 3-2, and also won game two, 9-8.
Neither team could collect a hit in the opener until Eureka (11-24, 7-16 SLIAC) senior first baseman Tim Cashdollar (Morton, Ill./Morton H.S.) unloaded a full-count delivery from Spalding starting pitcher Zach Stevenson deep over the left field fence to give the Red Devils a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Freshman shortstop Grant DeWitt (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County H.S.) walked to lead off the inning and later moved to third base when a sacrifice bunt from junior outfielder Pierce Furrow (El Paso, Ill./El Paso-Gridley H.S.) was misplayed by Stevenson, putting two runners on base for Cashdollar.
Cashdollar's homer was the only Eureka offense of game one, but it was enough for Meyer. The six-foot left-hander didn't allow a hit until Kyle Just led off the fourth inning with a single to right field. Steven Schanz broke up Meyer's shutout bid with a two-run home run with two outs in the sixth inning. The Golden Eagles (22-11, 14-4 SLIAC) put the tying run on base in the seventh inning on Jordan Messex's one-out single, but pinch runner Anthony Fulks was gunned down by Hess trying to steal second base for the final out of the game.
Meyer allowed two earned runs on five hits over 7.0 innings, striking out six and walking two to earn his third career victory. He was aided by solid defense behind the plate from Hess, who threw out three potential base stealers during the game. The opener lasted only 81 minutes, the shortest game at Henry Sand Field this season.
In game two, Just and Derek Ferch coaxed walks to start the game and later scored on Schanz's two-run single for a 2-0 lead. Hess cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first with his first home run of the game, an opposite-field solo homer. Two innings later, Hess yanked a 3-2 pitch down the left field line and out of the ballpark for a three-run shot to give Eureka a 4-2 advantage.
The visitors tied the contest at 4-4 in their next at-bat, but Eureka took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth on Hess's third hit of the game, an RBI single to score relief pitcher John Berns (Herscher, Ill./Herscher H.S.) for a 5-4 advantage. Junior third baseman Blake McConkey (Fairview, Ill./Spoon River Valley H.S.) added an RBI fielder's choice before the inning was over.
The Red Devils provided further insurance with a three-run sixth inning to lead 9-4. Hess pulled a two-run single down the left field line with nobody out and the bases loaded before a wild pitch on strike three to Meyer allowed Cashdollar to score Eureka's final run of the game. The last run proved to be valuable, as Spalding pushed four runs across in the top of the seventh. McConkey entered the game in relief of Berns with one out in the inning, retiring two of the three batters he faced to earn his first career save and secure the doubleheader sweep.
Hess finished with a career-high four hits in four plate appearances and had seven of Eureka's eight runs batted in. Berns entered the game in the fourth inning and earned his second career victory, tossing 3.1 innings and striking out two.
The Red Devils will bring the 2011 season to a close Wednesday afternoon, hosting the Golden Eagles at Henry Sand Field at 2 p.m. in the final game of the season.