EDWARDSVIILE – Daniel Gierer's base hit past a drawn-in infield capped off a four-run ninth inning and gave SIUE baseball a 12-11 walk-off win over Evansville at Simmons Baseball Complex Wednesday. Gierer is a Father McGivney Catholic High School graduate.

With SIUE trailing 11-8 going to the ninth, Ethan Willoughby walked to start the inning. Kyle Ratliff singled off Evansville pitcher Drew Fieger's leg. Trace Harrington brought home a run with a sacrifice fly to left before Lane Crowden reached on an infield hit.

Gage Franck came off the bench and roped a pinch-hit triple into the right-centerfield gap to score Ratliff and Crowden, tying the game at 11 and setting stage for Gierer.

The Cougars improved to 5-10 with the win. Evansville fell to 5-11.

Bolstered by a three-home run, seven-RBI day from Chase Bloomer, the Cougars erased a 10-0 deficit in the game. Bloomer finished the game 3-5 with three runs.

He is the first Cougar to home three times in a game since Brady Bunten in 2022.

Evansville (5-11) got up 10-0 after 2 ½ innings, scoring four times in the first and adding another four runs in the second. The Aces scored twice in the third.

Bloomer hit the first of his home runs in the third, a two-run shot that followed a double from Mack Mitchell. SIUE got an RBI-double from Lane Crowden in the fourth to cut the lead back to 10-3. Bloomer homered following a walk to Mitchell in the fifth to make it 10-5. Bloomer's third blast of the day, a three-run homer, in the sixth inning cut the Evansville lead to 10-8.

The Aces picked up another run in the seventh and took an 11-8 lead into the ninth inning.

Crowden finished 4-5 with the RBI and a run scored. Gierer and Mitchell each finished with two hits.

Tyler Davis (1-1) picked up the win in relief. Davis pitched the ninth inning, striking out two. Duncan McLaughlin, Kieran Bailey and Zach Duenas all provided scoreless outings for the Cougars.

UE catcher Matt Flaherty finished the game 2-5 with four RBIs to lead the Aces.

Fieger (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound. He worked a total of 2 2/3 innings. He gave up six hits and struck out four.

SIUE travels to Springfield, Missouri for a three-game series at Missouri State beginning Friday.

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