UE wins first MVC series since 2013
Danielle Freeman notched two hits while Morgan Florey got the job done in the circle to lead the University of Evansville softball team to a 3-2 win over Wichita State in the series finale on Sunday at Cooper Stadium.
The win gave Evansville (16-19, 4-8 MVC) its first Missouri Valley Conference series win since 2013 when UE took two out of three at Missouri State.
“I could not be more proud of these girls,†Aces head coach Mat Mundell said. “The fight that they showed all weekend was great. We got some timely hits, great pitching and solid defense. This is a big win for us.â€
Freeman had two of UE’s eight hits in the game while Susan Norris and Kristin Koepke also had runs batted in. Florey pitched all seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits en route to her 9th win of the season.
Wichita State (21-16, 7-5 MVC) was the first to get on the board as Macklin Hitz hit a solo shot to right in the top of the first inning, but Evansville came right back in the bottom of the frame. With two on and two outs, Danielle Freeman singled to center to knot the game at 1-1.
In the top of the third, the Shockers retook the lead on a sacrifice fly, but Evansville made another rally in the bottom of the fourth. Hayli Scott drew a walk to begin the inning before Danielle Freeman laced a long single to center. After both runners moved up on a sac bunt, Susan Norris hit a double to center to tie it up at 2-2 with one out. One batter later, Kristin Koepke gave UE its first lead of the day as her single gave the Aces a 3-2 advantage.
Florey handled it from there as she sat the final ten WSU batters down in order to clinch the victory.
Evansville is back on the road for its next eight games. The road trip begins next weekend with a Saturday doubleheader at Illinois State.
