Missouri Valley Conference action is back at Cooper Stadium this weekend as the University of Evansville softball team welcomes Indiana State for a 3-game set.
Saturday’s docket features a doubleheader starting at noon before Sunday’s finale begins at 11 a.m.
Susan Norris’ first plate appearance since a March 25 injury was a good one as she recorded the walk-off game winner against SIU, hitting a single in the 7th inning of game one. In the second contest, she belted her first home run of the season. For the day, she was 2-2 with two walks and three RBI.
A midweek doubleheader against MVC rival Southern Illinois saw the teams split the opening two games of the series before it wraps up with a single game in Carbondale on Tuesday. Morgan Florey threw a 2-hit shutout in game one while Susan Norris picked up the game-winning hit as the Aces picked up a 1-0 win. SIU took a 10-2 lead in game two, but the Aces rallied back before falling short by a 10-7 final. That contest saw Norris, Florey and Chandra Parr each hit a home run.
On April 9, Chandra Parr officially set the UE program home run record. Her 31st career home run came in the fourth inning at Drake and was also the game winner. Parr recorded the tying homer against Austin Peay on April 5 before moving ahead of Krista Price four days later. Parr’s up-to-date total stands at 32 following a homer versus Southern Illinois
Danielle Cassidy had her best outing with the Purple Aces on Wednesday. In game two, she threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
Indiana State starts the weekend with a record of 18-24 and 3-14 in conference outings. Leslie Sims is one of the top batters in the MVC, hitting .413 so far. She also paces the Sycamores with 17 steals. Brooke Mann has their top slugging numbers, posting six home runs, 31 RBI and a slugging percentage of .466. All three are team highs. In the circle, Kenzie Ihle leads the way with 13 wins and a 4.00 ERA.
