Teams meet up for rubber match on Sunday
Â
An exciting doubleheader saw each game come down to the final at-bat with the University of Evansville softball team splitting a pair of contests against Western Michigan at Cooper Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Broncos (4-8) hit a 3-run home run in the top of the seventh in game one to give them a 4-3 victory while the second contest saw the Purple Aces (10-6) break a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth when Hannah Hood drew a bases-loaded walk to score the winning run.
Game 1
Izzy Vetter faced an early test with the first two WMU runners reaching base in the top of the first. After a sacrifice advanced them to second and third, Vetter recorded the final two outs to keep the Broncos off the board. In the top of the fourth, they were able to push across the opening run of the game. After putting runners on second and third to lead off the frame, a groundout by Jordyn Swinehart gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead.
Evansville stranded two runners in each of the first three innings but could not bring the run home. That changed in the bottom of the fifth when Marah Wood drew her third walk of the game with two outs. Next up was Haley Woolf, who doubled to deep center field to tie the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the sixth, the Aces took their first lead of the game. A successful suicide squeeze saw Hannah Hood score from third on a bunt by Jenna Lis. Halie Fain would also score in the inning.
Heading to the top of the seventh, UE appeared to be in good shape, but Western Michigan struck fast. A hit and an error set the table for Sydney Stefanick, who hit a home run to left field to put WMU back on top at 4-3. Evansville was unable to tie it up in the seventh with the Broncos clinching the win. Haley Woolf had two of the Aces five hits and one RBI. Samantha Coffel recorded three hits for WMU while Stefanick had three RBI. Izzy Vetter suffered her second loss of the season, allowing four runs, two earned, on ten hits.
Game 2
Evansville’s offense wasted little time getting on the board in game two. Eryn Gould led the game off with a double before Marah Wood posted her fifth home run of the season to give the Aces a 2-0 lead in the first. UE threatened again in the second, putting runners on second and third with no outs, but this time, WMU was able to pitch out of the jam.
In the third, it was Hannah Hood coming through with a big 2-out hit. She laced a single to right field that scored Woolf, who reached on a double with one out. Another run scored when Jessica Fehr recorded a bases loaded walk.
Western Michigan got on the board in the fourth inning, scoring three times on three hits to get within one before tying it up in the fifth. The Aces took advantage of a prime opportunity in the sixth, loading the bases with one out. A patient at-bat by Hannah Hood resulted in a walk that sent in the go-ahead run.
Just as they did in the opening contest, the Broncos did their best to come back in the seventh. A leadoff double got things started, but Erin Kleffman was able to record the final three outs to earn her first win of the season while giving the Aces a 5-4 victory. She threw the final three frames, allowing one run on four hits. Jaime Nurrenbern made the start, going the first four innings where she gave up three runs with just one being earned.  The Aces had seven hits with Hood and Woolf posting two apiece.
The series wraps up tomorrow when the Aces and Broncos meet for a single game at 11 a.m.
