The Basics

Score: Evangel 20, Friends 16 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (9-19, 4-11), Friends (13-13, 8-8)

Location: Springfield, Mo. (University Field)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel Baseball hosted the Falcons of Friends on Tuesday (Mar. 18) afternoon, looking to take a win in conference play and close the series out against Friends with a win, after dropping the first two games last week.

Despite trailing 11-4 heading into the sixth inning on Tuesday, the Valor did not give up, fighting with a big sixth and seventh inning to take a 20-16 win in a huge offensive display.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a scoreless first inning for the Falcons, Evangel scored three runs in the bottom of the inning. Five consecutive singles from Evan Baptiste, Kannon Perry, Shane Poe, Quentin Edwards, and Justus Cherrico put Evangel ahead 3-0.

• Friends scored a run in the top of the second inning, but an error that allowed Baptiste to get on base was followed by a single from K. Perry, making it a 4-1 ballgame.

• Friends scored 10 combined runs in innings three through six, taking a 11-4 lead over the Valor.

• Evangel's offense exploded in the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Friends bullpen could not get the Valor offense out. To open the inning, Jeremiah Leaming was hit by a pitch and scored on a Baptiste double. Baptiste scored on a K. Perry single, followed by Poe being hit by a pitch and Edwards working a walk to load the bases. A Cherrico single up the middle scored Parker Ellifritz, the courtesy runner for Perry, as well as Poe to make it a 11-8 deficit. After Heath Perry was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, Cade Beshore singled to score Edwards and keep the line moving. A Leaming single tied the game up at 11-11, scoring H. Perry and Cherrico. Baptiste capped off the inning, closing it out with a three run blast to left field to put the Valor ahead, 14-11.

• Friends added a run in the top of the seventh to make it a 14-12 game, but the Valor scored five runs in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 19-12. A Poe leadoff triple was followed by a single from Edwards to give EU a 15-12 lead. Cherrico was hit by a pitch and scored on a H. Perry single before Beshore singled to score Perry. After Leaming singled, an obstruction call on the Falcons third baseman scored Beshore to cap off scoring in the inning.

• The Falcons scored two runs in the top of the eighth and ninth innings, but a H. Perry hit by pitch and a Beshore double gave EU an additional insurance run, taking a 20-16 lead they held to the end as Isaac Daley closed out the win.

QUOTABLE 

"What an outstanding team win today. The guys showed a lot of grit and heart. Yesterday, we watched a sermon together as a team and it was about David and Goliath and how David had visions of victory because he threw the name of the Lord and not just a stone," head coach Sam Jones stated. "Today, the guys really embodied that and kept fighting and believing. We had a "so what" mentality when things didn't go our way and just kept believing and playing for the Lord."

NOTABLE

• Evangel recorded 24 hits in Tuesday's win, a season high.

• A 4-5 day from the plate for Quentin Edwards led Evangel, as the junior recorded a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBIs.

• Evan Baptiste drove in four runs and scored four times himself to help lead the offense.

• Hayden Larson earned his second win of the season on Tuesday.

NEXT UP

Evangel Baseball travels to Ottawa, Kan., on Friday (Mar. 21) afternoon to open a three game conference series with the Ottawa Braves, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.