Evansville, In.:  Down 3-0 through two periods, the Thunderbolts rallied with a pair of goals and stellar goaltending in a strong third period to close out a 3-2 loss to end the regular season in Pelham on Saturday night.  Now, the calendar turns to the postseason, as the Thunderbolts will take on the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs in Round 1 of the President Cup Playoffs, starting Thursday, April 13^th at Ford Center at 7:00pm CT.

Carson Rose scored in the first period at 10:06 to give the Bulls the first lead of the game.  A pair of goals from Jared Bethune in the second period extended the lead to 3-0, with the Thunderbolts getting their fair share of chances the whole way, in a game that got progressively nastier as the game went on.  After several skirmishes in the first two periods, the first official fight came 6:06 into the third period, as Pierre-Luc Lurette knocked out Troy MacTavish.  The third period also saw the debut of goaltender Lucas Fitzpatrick, who stopped all 15 shots faced, many in spectacular fashion.  Evansville’s first goal came at 7:24, as Scott Kirton scored his 25^th goal of the season from Tanner Butler and Aaron Huffnagle on a 5-on-3 power play.  With Fitzpatrick pulled, Brendan Harrogate scored to get Evansville back within a goal, with 1:10 remaining from Cameron Cook and John DeRoche.

Kirton and Harrogate each finished with one goal.  Zane Steeves stopped 22 of 25 shots in the first two periods, while Lucas Fitzpatrick stopped all 15 shots faced in the third period.  The Thunderbolts will host the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs for Game One of the best-of-three President’s Cup Quarterfinals on Thursday, April 13^th at Ford Center, faceoff at 7:00pm CT.  Game Two will be on Saturday, April 15^th at Berglund Center in Roanoke, faceoff at 6:05pm CT.  Game Three, if necessary, will be on Sunday, April 16^th at Berglund Center, faceoff at 2:05pm CT.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost the three-game series finale to Southeast Missouri State University, 14-2, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI watched its record go to 9-22 and 2-7 in the OVC, while SEMO goes to 18-16, 7-2 OVC.
 
USI was under the gun from the start of the game as SEMO got the lead with a run in the top of the first. USI tied the game, 1-1, in the second when junior designated hitter Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) smacked his team-best fifth home run of the season over the right field wall.
 
The Redhawks took command for good in the top of the third when they scored four times to take a 5-1 lead. USI cut the deficit in the third with a single tally in the bottom of the third on a RBI-single by junior centerfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan).
 
SEMO pulled away with a two run fourth and five runs in the fifth before finishing out the 14-2 game with two more in the seventh.
 
USI sophomore right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) received the loss on the mound for the Eagles. Hutson (1-5) allowed seven runs, six earned, on eight hits and two walks in 3.1 innings of work.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:  
USI continues the four-game homestand Tuesday when it hosts St. Louis University for the second game of a home-and-home series in 2023. The Eagles took the first game of the series on the road, 10-2, on March 14. USI senior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) led the Eagles with three hits and three runs scored in the victory.
 
St. Louis finished off a three-game series win at St. Bonaventure University with a 7-5 win Saturday in New York. The Billikens have won six of their last seven games and are 8-9 since the Eagles snapped their 10-game winning streak last month.

Following the mid-week game with St. Louis, USI returns to OVC action with a visit to the University of Tennessee at Martin for a three-game series April 14-16.

Evansville, In.:  Behind a 29-save performance from Zane Steeves, timely goals would lead the Thunderbolts to a 2-1 win over the Birmingham Bulls on Friday night at Ford Center, as Evansville heads into the playoffs with a 20-8 record on Ford Center ice in the regular season.  Details on date(s), opponent, and time for the first home game of the playoffs at Ford Center will be announced after seeding is finalized on Saturday night.

Evansville trailed early in the game, as Jared Bethune opened the scoring at 9:30 of the first period.  On a power play chance later in the period, Scott Kirton tied the game up at 1-1 from Tanner Butler and Matt Dorsey.  Following a scoreless second period, and many great saves by both goaltenders, Evansville broke through at 9:50 of the third period as Felix Sasser scored from Butler and Conner Jean to give Evansville a 2-1 lead.  The Bulls would pull goaltender Hayden Stewart and had a late power play to go on a 6-on-4 attack, however, the Thunderbolts held on to win 2-1.

Kirton and Sasser each finished with one goal, Butler tallied two assists, and Zane Steeves stopped 29 of 30 shots for his 13^th win of the season.  With Knoxville defeating Roanoke tonight, the Thunderbolts can still climb into 4^th place and gain home-ice advantage on Saturday with a win of any kind in Birmingham, and another Roanoke regulation loss to Knoxville.  The Thunderbolts and Bulls meet again on Saturday, April 8^th in Pelham.

Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for this 2022-23 season.  Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are now on sale as well.  Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball rallied to knocked off Southeast Missouri State University, 9-6, Friday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI watched its record go to 9-21 and 2-6 in the OVC, while SEMO goes to 17-16, 6-2 OVC.
 
The Redhawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead after an inning-and-a-half, scoring on a first inning solo shot and a second inning two-run blast.
 
USI rallied to take a 5-3 lead with five unanswered runs in the bottom of the second and third frames. Eagles’ junior first baseman Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) closed the gap to 3-2 in the second with a two-run bullet over the left center fence, while junior leftfielder Gavin McLarty (Buckner, Kentucky) gave USI a 5-3 lead with a bases-clearing, three-run double in the third.
 
SEMO chipped away at the two-run USI advantage and tied the game with a single tally in the fourth and fifth innings. The Eagles took back the lead in the bottom of the fifth, 6-5, on a RBI-single by junior rightfielder Steven Molinet (Elberfeld, Indiana), scoring Ellis, who singled and stole second to get into scoring position.
 
USI would go on to extend the lead in the fifth to 7-5 when junior centerfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) knocked in Molinet with a single to right field. McLarty sealed the victory in the bottom of the sixth when he drove in his fourth and fifth runs of the contest to increase the lead to four runs, 9-5.
 
The USI hurlers took over from that point, blanking SEMO in the three of the final four innings, allowing a tallying in the ninth before closing out the 9-6 victory. USI sophomore right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) picked the win in relief, throwing the four-plus in the final five frames.
 
Seebold (2-3) allowed two runs on three hits, three walks, and four hit batters, while striking out a season-high six in 4.1 innings of work. Sophomore right-hander Adam Weihe (Louisville, Kentucky) picked up his first save of the season after getting the Eagles out of the ninth inning bases-loaded jam, allowing an inherited runner on one hit.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:  
The Eagles and the Redhawks conclude the three-game set Saturday with a noon contest at the USI Baseball Field.  
 
Following Saturday’s series finale, USI continues the four-game homestand Tuesday when it hosts St. Louis University for the second game of a home-and-home series in 2023. The Eagles took the first game of the series on the road, 10-2, on March 14. USI senior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) led the Eagles with three hits and three runs scored in the victory.