UE drops contests to MTSU and #2 Alabama
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Battling against some of the top competition that college softball has to offer, the University of Evansville softball team came up short against Middle Tennessee State and #2 Alabama in Friday’s opening day of the Easton Bama Bash at Rhoads Stadium.
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Game 1 – Middle Tennessee State 4, UE 2
Middle Tennessee State plated two runs in both the first and second innings and would hang on to finish Friday’s opener with a 4-2 win over the Purple Aces. A bases loaded walk and a Claire Czajkowski RBI single got the Blue Raiders going in the first inning before Abby Shoulders picked a 2-RBI knock in the second.
Jessica Fehr picked up the first hit of the day, hitting a 2-out single in the third before coming through in an even larger way in the fifth. Jenna Nink reached on an error to open the frame and stole second base. With two outs, Mackenzie McFeron walkeds to bring up Fehr, who belted a 2-RBI double to left-center to get the Aces on the scoreboard.
UE threatened again in the sixth with a pair of 2-out baserunners with Hannah Hood drawing a walk before Nink was hit by a pitch. Unfortunately, a strikeout ended the threat. Fehr recorded her third hit of the day in the seventh but was stranded at second with MTSU clinching the win. Sydney Weatherford pitched the complete game for UE, giving up four runs, three earned, on three hits. Keri Munn tossed the full seven frames for MTSU. Both UE runs were unearned.
Game 2 – #2 Alabama 10, UE 2
Second-ranked Alabama plated three runs in the first inning before inching away to finish with a 10-2 victory over the Aces in six innings. After picking up three hits in game one, Jessica Fehr got the game started with a single up the middle with Crimson Tide starter Jaala Torrence striking out the Aces in order to end the threat.
Alabama responded in the bottom half of the first, scoring three runs on three walks and three batters hit by a pitch. Just when it looked like the Tide had taken control, Evansville bounced back with a run on two hits in the top of the second. With one out, Jenna Nink singled through the left side and moved to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Alexa Davis belted a single through the right side to plate UE’s first run of the day.
Evansville remained close until a 4-run fourth inning extended Alabama’s lead to 8-1. The offense for UE added a second run in the fifth inning as a Sydney Weatherford single scored McFeron, who reached on a 1-out single. The Crimson Tide added single runs in the fifth and sixth to clinch the 10-2 win. Alabama had nine hits with the Aces picking up six. Ally Shipman led the Tide with three RBI while Kaylee Tow registered two.
Weatherford paced Evansville with a pair of hits and a RBI. Aces starter Izzy Vetter suffered her first loss of the season, allowing 10 runs, seven earned, in five frames. She struck out four. Torrence tossed the complete game for the Tide, giving up two earned runs on six hits while striking out 10.
On Saturday, the Aces open with an 11 a.m. game against #8 Virginia Tech before facing Middle Tennessee State at 6:30 p.m.
