Vetter throws complete game in opener
 CARBONDALE, Ill. – Marah Wood hit a 3-run blast while Izzy Vetter picked up her 10th victory of the season to help the University of Evansville softball team split Sunday’s doubleheader against Southern Illinois at Charlotte West Stadium.
UE (18-13, 6-6 MVC) opened the day with an 8-2 win before the Salukis (28-7, 10-4 MVC) held on for a 4-1 decision in the second contest.
GAME 1
The offense erupted for eight runs in Sunday’s opener, which was highlighted by a 3-run home run from Marah Wood. UE wasted little time in jumping out front, plating two runs in each of the first two innings. Eryn Gould and Wood each posted 1-out hits to bring Alyssa Barela to the plate. Her successful squeeze scored Gould for the opening run of the game. Haley Woolf added an RBI single to make it a 2-0 lead.
Mea Adams was hit by a pitch to lead off the second before scoring on a Katie McLean double. Jessica Fehr added an RBI knock of her own to cement a 4-0 UE lead. Izzy Vetter kept the Salukis off balance with meticulous pitching and the offense would add some extra insurance in the sixth. Some 2-out magic padded the lead with Fehr recording her second hit of the day before Gould reached on a walk. Next up was Wood, who hit a homer to right center to push the lead to 7-0. A final run would cross the plate in the 7th on a Jenna Lis sacrifice.
SIU scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Jenny Jansen homer, but it could not overcome the deficit with Evansville clinching the 8-2 victory. Wood, Fehr and Woolf each recorded two hits apiece while Wood paced the team with three runs batted in. Vetter won her 10th game of the season, striking out nine batters while giving up two runs on six hits.
GAME 2
Saluki starting pitcher Sarah Harness had another strong start for her squad, fanning 11 batters while scattering four hits across the 7-inning effort. Evansville looked to be in business early on as Jessica Fehr led the game off with a double, but three strikeouts in a row ended the threat. In the bottom of the first, SIU pounced with Katelyn Massa hitting a 2-run shot.
In the third, Southern Illinois added another run to their lead. The Aces were able to push a run across in the fifth when Eryn Gould singled through the right side to score Hannah Hood, who also singled earlier in the inning. That would be the only run the Aces would score as SIU tacked on one more run to take a 4-1 win and split the doubleheader.
Evansville had four hits in the game while Katie McLean walked twice. Jaime Nurrenbern went all six innings in the circle, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out six.
Another road weekend is on tap when the Aces travel to Des Moines, Iowa for a 3-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
