Aces Softball Welcomes SIU On Wednesday
UE To Face SIU In Midweek DoubleheaderÂ
 Already off to its best conference start in 15 years, the University of Evansville softball team looks for more as it faces Southern Illinois in a Wednesday doubleheader at Cooper Stadium.
Game one is set for a 3 p.m. start with the second to follow just after 5 p.m.
Evansville made it 5 out of 6 with another MVC road series win over the weekend at Missouri State. After dropping game one, the Aces were able to take the last two games to win the series. Ashleigh Downing allowed one run on four hits in game two, a 3-1 win, before Morgan Florey got the job done in the finale.
Chandra Parr batted an unbelievable .800 in the series, notching 8 hits in 10 at-bats, including a pair of doubles. Brittany Hay and Morgan Lambert also hit home runs in the series. It was a huge win for the program as the Aces had lost 11 of the last 12 series versus MSU.
Just minutes after the Bears took the series opener over the weekend, Ashleigh Downing stepped in the circle and had her best outing while helping the Aces tie the series. The redshirt sophomore allowed one run on four hits as UE picked up a 3-1 win. Downing has been extremely effective in league games, accumulating a 2.66 ERA while going 2-2. She has also held Valley squads to an impressive .206 batting average. Over her last three conference starts, Downing has tossed 19.0 innings, allowing just four earned runs over that span.
Morgan Florey was back in the circle in the Drake series and quickly returned to form, throwing all seven innings in the series opener on her way to an 8-2 win. She struck out 8 while giving up one earned run on three hits. Florey has gone the distance in 10 of her last 12 outings while her ERA of 1.96 puts her third in the MVC. She had a pair of huge games against Missouri State. In the opener, a tough 2-1 defeat, she gave up two runs on five hits. She came back in the finale with another complete game effort, allowing three earned runs as the Aces took the series with a 6-4 win.
Southern Illinois comes to town with a 22-20 mark while tied with the Purple Aces in league play at 9-6. Over the weekend, they dropped two out of three contests at Loyola. Shaye Harre leads the offense with a .330 average along with 13 doubles. Merrie Anne Patterson has the top power numbers, checking in with 31 RBI.
