Aces drop 6-2 midweek contest
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Trailing by four in the bottom of the sixth, the University of Evansville softball team cut the lead in half, but UT Martin countered with two in the top of the seventh to pick up a 6-2 win over the Purple Aces on Tuesday at Cooper Stadium.
UT Martin (18-7) broke a scoreless tie in the top half of the fifth with three runs crossing the plate. Shyanne Sheffield hit a 2-run home run to left field to cap off the inning.
Evansville (17-8) had just one baserunner through the opening three frames, but broke through in the fourth when Katie McLean drew her second walk of the game. With one out, Marah Wood picked up the Aces first hit of the afternoon, but UTM starter Alexis Groet escaped the inning unscathed.
After the Skyhawks extended the lead to 4-0 in the sixth, the Aces got on the board in the bottom of the frame. Hannah Hood hit a leadoff double before McLean was hit by a pitch. Haley Woolf helped to advance the runners to second and third before a Marah Wood plated Hood for UE’s first run. Alyssa Barela added a sacrifice fly in the inning to cut the UTM lead in half.
A Kaitlin Kelley home run in the seventh saw the UTM lead go right back up to four runs and that would wrap up the scoring with the Skyhawks taking the 6-2 win.
Jaime Nurrenbern allowed three runs in five innings in the start while Izzy Vetter gave up three runs in two frames of work. UE had three hits on the day with two coming off the bat of Wood. McLean reached base on all three trips to the plate and scored a run. UTM had ten hits with Sheffield accounting for three.
A trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa is on tap this weekend with the Aces facing UNI in a 3-game series. The teams meet up for a doubleheader on Friday and a single game on Saturday.