EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball rebounded with a 12-5 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Saturday afternoon in Edwardsville, Illinois. USI watched its record go to 15-27 overall, 6-11 OVC, while SIUE is 23-19, 6-8 OVC, this spring.
 
USI junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) put the Screaming Eagles on the right track early with a two-run blast and his team-best 10^th home run of the season down the right field line for a 2-0 advantage. The 2-0 lead would last until the bottom half of the frame when SIUE knotted the game at 2-2.
 
The Eagles regained the lead for good in the top of the second, 5-2, by pushing three more across. Senior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) started the scoring with a RBI-single before Ebest struck again with a two-run single for his third and fourth RBIs of the game.
 
USI junior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) increased the margin to 8-2 with a three-run drive over the right field wall. The drive was Ellis’ fourth of the season.
 
After the Cougars picked up a pair of runs in the sixth to close the gap to 8-4, the Eagles sealed the victory with a three-run seventh to re-extend the lead to 11-4. Senior second baseman Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) had the big hit in the frame with a bases clearing three-run triple.
 
USI would add an insurance run in the top of the ninth to lead, 12-4, on a sacrifice fly by Ellis. The Cougars would get a tally to end the scoring before the Eagles closed out the 12-5 victory.
 
For the day at the plate, Ebest and Ellis had a team-best four RBIs each. Ebest also joined Kahre, McNew, and junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) with three hits each.
 
On the mound, junior left-hander Blake Ciuffetelli (Newburgh, Indiana) took the win after going 5.1 innings. Ciuffetelli (2-0) allowed four runs on six hits, while striking out one.
 
USI junior right-hander Carter Stamm (Jasper, Indiana) posted his first save of the season in completing the game for Ciuffetelli. Stamm allowed one run on four hits and a walk, while striking out one in 3.2 innings of work.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:  
The Eagles and the Cougars conclude the three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m.  at SIUE’s Roy E. Lee Field.
 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –  The visiting #14 Indiana State baseball team took advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness from University of Evansville junior starter Donovan Schultz to score four runs in the first inning Saturday en route to a 7-4 win at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

“We just couldn’t overcome the first inning today,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “We didn’t play clean baseball, and because of it, we weren’t able to get the series win today.

“I thought that Jarrett Blunt and Jakob Meyer gave us a chance by keeping us close, but we could not put together another big offensive inning that we needed to get the win.  Tomorrow is a very important rubber match for us.  Hopefully, we can get another great crowd to come out and cheer us on!”

Schultz (5-3), who had hit only one batter in his last six starts on the mound spanning 32.0 innings of work, opened the first inning giving up a hit, a walk and hit two batters to give Indiana State a 1-0 lead.  After a strikeout, ISU catcher Grant McGill was able to flare a double down the right field line to score two runs to extend the lead to 3-0.  An infield ground out then capped the first-inning scoring for ISU, but Indiana State took a 4-0 lead before Evansville headed to home plate.

ISU would tack on a run in the third inning on another hit-by-pitch by Schultz, a balk, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-0.  Evansville would finally answer back in the bottom of the third inning, as junior outfielder Adam Euler, making his first start of the year, singled to open the inning.  After a single from sophomore third baseman Ben Stuart, graduate outfielder Eric Roberts launched a three-run home run to center field for his MVC-leading 16th home run of the year to cut the ISU lead to 5-3.

The Sycamores would add a run in the fifth inning on a solo home run from shortstop Randal Diaz that went in and out of the glove of UE outfielder Ty Rumsey as he crashed into the wall in center field to take a 6-3 lead.  Diaz would later double off of the glove of Rumsey again in the seventh inning and score on an RBI single by third baseman Mike Sears to push the lead to 7-3, before UE fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug would belt a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap the scoring on the day.

Hug went 3-for-4 with a home run, while Roberts went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.  Stuart also had two hits for UE.  Diaz went 2-for-4 with three runs scored to lead ISU.

Fenlong got the victory on the mound by holding Evansville to four runs on eight hits in 8.0 innings of work, while striking out six.  Reliever Brennyn Cutts worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save of the year.  Schultz took the loss for UE, yielding five runs on just two hits with a walk.  He did hit three batters.  UE graduate reliever Jarrett Blunt struck out a career-high eight men in a season-best 4.0 innings of work to try and keep Evansville in the game, and senior reliver Jakob Meyer struck out three over 2.0 scoreless innings of work for UE.

With the victory, Indiana State improves to 27-13 overall and 15-2 in the MVC.  Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 25-17 overall and 9-8 in the MVC with the loss.  The series will be decided on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., with UE expected to start graduate LHP Michael Parks (2-1, 2.34 ERA) against Indiana State RHP Lane Miller (4-0, 2.12 ERA).  Sunday’s rubber match can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.

Series finale set for Sunday at noon

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Solo home runs from Jenna Nink and Marah Wood, strong pitching and big-time defensive plays around the diamond, helped the University of Evansville softball team take down Illinois State by a score of 3-2 at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium.

Nink registered her sixth homer of the season while Wood picked up her fourth.  Erin Kleffman made the start on her Senior Day with one run scoring in her four innings of work.  Sydney Weatherford earned her sixth win of the year, tossing two frames of 1-run ball.  Megan Brenton threw a scoreless seventh on the way to her sixth save of 2023.

Evansville’s defense was the first to make a statement, coming through in a big way to prevent an Illinois State run in the top of the seconds.  With two outs and runners on first and second, the Redbirds picked up a base hit to left field and sent the baserunner home.  Zoe Frossard’s accurate throw was grabbed by catcher Taylor Howe, who made the tag and ended the inning.

In the bottom of the third, UE broke the scoreless tie when Marah Wood drilled a 1-out home run to left center.  It extended her hit streak to 11 games and marked her fourth homer of 2023. It did not take long for ISU to rebound as they put two runners on with no outs.  A sacrifice fly brought in the tying run before Erin Kleffman pitched out of the jam.

Entering the game in the top of the 5^th, Sydney Weatherford struggled with the opening three batters as each would get on base.  Facing the bases loaded, no out situation, Weatherford regrouped and limited the damage to just one run with the Redbirds going up 2-1.

Jenna NInk wasted little time in tying it right back up.  With UE facing its first deficit of the afternoon, her leadoff home run in the bottom of the 5^th tied the score.  Pinch hitter Brooke McCorkle followed up with a double as Sydney Kalonihea reentered and would score the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Alexa Davis.

Brenton took to the circle in the 7^th and two runners would reach with one out.  Appropriately enough, it was the defense shining once again, forcing a game-ending double play to seal the win.  Both squads recorded seven hits on the day with Willsey picking up two.

Following the game, seniors Hannah Hood and Kleffman were recognized as well as Alyssa Barela, who played her final season at UE in 2022.  The team also recognized senior members of the Illinois State team.

The teams will battle it out for the series on Sunday with first pitch set for 12 p.m.