THE LEAD
The DBU Patriots (34-19, 13-6) opened the final weekend series of the season with a 9-0 loss to the Evansville Purple Aces (17-35, 8-10).  DBU fell behind in the first inning and never mounted any sort of threat on their way to a nine-run loss. This was the first shutout for the DBU offense in 2017, as they mustered only four hits in the contest, all singles, while striking out eight times.
 
The Patriots fell behind, 6-0, before even recording their first hit on the night. Evansville's Travis Tokarek got the Purple Aces on the board in the first with a two-out, two-run homer over the wall in right.
 
Starter Ray Gaither lasted only ten batters into the game, allowing six runs on four hits while walking three. Kragen Kechely came on with the bases loaded and nobody out in the second inning and allowed two of his three inherited runners to score. Kechely allowed two runs of his own in the third inning to push the deficit to eight runs headed to the middle innings.
 
Two more runs came across for Evansville in the third inning when Coby Weaver came on in relief of Kechely after three straight hits against the freshman right-hander. Weaver allowed two of those baserunners to score, but did not allow a run of his own over his 3.2 innings of relief, including three straight scoreless innings in the middle third of the ballgame.
 
Sean Boyle came on in the seventh inning and allowed a run on two hits after a single, a wild pitch, and a double. Landon Wilson threw a perfect eighth inning for DBU in his seventeenth appearance on the year.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Tonight's loss marks the first time DBU has been shutout in a nine-inning game since April 16, 2016, when the Patriots fell 7-0 to Southern Illinois.
- The loss snaps DBU's four-game win streak over Evansville.
- With Bradley's loss today to Southern Illinois, DBU will face No. 7 seed Bradley next Wednesday at the MVC Tournament in Springfield, Missouri.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
218 – DBU failed to get a runner to third base for the first time in a span of 218 games, dating back to March 18, 2014, in a 5-0 loss at the University of Texas.
8 – Garrett Wolforth extended his season-high hit streak to eight games.
9 – All nine hitters in the Evansville lineup hit safely.
 
UP NEXT
DBU and Evansville meet in game two of the series on Friday at 4:00 p.m.