FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Trailblazers sweep final home doubleheader over Danville Area C.C.
VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team closed down their 2025 Spring home schedule Friday afternoon with a Mid-West Athletic Conference doubleheader against Danville Area Community College at Jerry Blemker Field.
The Blazers were able to close out the home schedule in style, sweeping the doubleheader over the Jaguars by taking game one 4-2 and finishing with a 6-4 victory in game two.
The day got off to a slow start for both offenses as both team’s starting pitchers were dealing on the mound, holding a scoreless tie through five innings.
Danville Area broke the scoreless tie with a run in the sixth, which VU answered with a big four-run inning in the bottom of the sixth.
VU got the inning started with a leadoff walk by freshman Jevan Andrews (Hobart, Ind.), followed by a single by sophomore Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.).
Vincennes grabbed their first lead of the day on a two-RBI double by freshman Carter Gricius (Scottsburg, Ind.), who later came around to score on a throwing error by the Jaguars on a single by sophomore Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Napier would later score the fourth VU run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by freshman Evan Doran (Indianapolis, Ind.), giving Vincennes a 4-1 lead.
Danville looked to battle back but were only able to get a run in the eighth as the Trailblazers held the Jaguar offense at bay all game to come away with the 4-2 game one victory.
Sophomore Carson Allen (Louisville, Ky.) got the start in game one for the Trailblazers, finishing his day with six strong innings, allowing one run on six hits and striking out four in the game.
Allen was going early, retiring 12 of the first 14 batters he faced, including striking out the side in order in the second inning.
Allen then turned the game over to freshman Ty Stultz (Terre Haute, Ind.) who threw one and one-third innings allowing one run on one hit and striking out two.
Freshman Jacob Allen (Vincennes, Ind.) came in for the Blazers to lock down the five-out save, facing the minimum over the final one and two-thirds innings to secure the Vincennes victory.
“Carson Allen did a great job,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “You can’t say enough about him. For the first three innings he was lights out, he gave up a couple of hits late but did a great job and gave us a chance to win and we battled. They threw their number one guy out there against him and matched pitch for pitch for five innings.”
“The difference for us was putting up four runs in the sixth,” Barney added. “A two RBI double by Gricius, another single by Napier and a sac fly by Doran put up four runs for us. We were able to keep them to minimal damage and did a nice job of guys stepping up.”
“Also can’t forget about Jacob Allen coming in late and picking up another save,” Barney said. “He has done a good job for us from that avenue.”
The Trailblazers looked to keep this momentum going into game two and were able to get the offense going early with three big runs in the bottom of the first.
Vincennes got the inning going with back to back walks by Jevan Andrews and Nate Montgomery, followed by an RBI single by Carter Gricius.
Corbin Napier followed this with a two-RBI single to put the Trailblazers on top early 3-0.
Danville got a run back in the second, which VU immediately answered in the bottom of the second after back to back singles by sophomores Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.) and Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.).
Gross would come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Jevan Andrews to put the Vincennes lead back at three, leading 4-1 after two innings.
The Jaguars would strike again with a run in the fourth, which Vincennes was able to respond with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth.
VU opened the inning with a single by freshman Wyatt Burris (Farmland, Ind.), his second hit of the game and an RBI triple by Bryce Gross.
Gross would later score on an RBI groundout put in play by Bradyn Douglas to increase the Blazers lead to 6-2.
Danville once again looked to comeback against the Trailblazers but were only able to cut the deficit in half with two runs in the fifth before the Blazers closed out the game strong to pick up the 6-4 victory on the home regular season finale.
Sophomore JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) got the start in game two for the Trailblazers, throwing four-plus innings, allowing four runs, three earned on six hits and striking out one.
Freshman Eastin Whaley (Kokomo, Ind.) was the first out of the pen for the Blazers in game two, throwing one inning, allowing two hits and striking out one.
Freshman Jakob Hoyer (Georgetown, Ind.) entered the game in the sixth and came through strong, retiring all six batters he faced, including striking out one to pick up the six-out save.
“We started out early in game two,” Barney said. “JD Bowser gave us a chance and picks up the win. Three runs in the first with an RBI by Gricius and two RBIs by Napier. We took advantage of a mistake by them and a sac fly by Andrews to score Gross in the second inning. Then a triple by Gross to score Burris who had a single in the fifth, so a really good team win.”
“Bowser threw well,” Barney added. “Whaley came in and got us out of a jam and then Hoyer came in and got us out of another jam to finish out the game.”
The Trailblazers will look to keep the momentum going as the series now shifts to Danville, Ill. for the final two games of this four-game weekend MWAC Conference series and the final two games of the 2025 Spring regular season.
The regular season finale doubleheader is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 3 at Danville Area Community College. First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for 11 a.m. eastern.
The Trailblazers officially clinch a berth in the Mid-West Athletic Conference tournament with game one’s victory and will look to continue to improve their seeding in the regular season finale.
“We’re just playing well,” Barney said. “Now we’ve got to go on the road and it’s a challenge to play on the road. That’s what we are going to have to do during tournament time. Let’s play well in the final two games of the regular season and get ourselves ready for the conference tournament.”
Salukis take weekend opener
Game two set for Saturday at 2 p.m.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Scoring three runs in the third and eight in the sixth, Southern Illinois finished with an 11-0 victory over the University of Evansville softball team on Friday night at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium.
Each team recorded its first hit of the game in the second inning with Eliza Piggott reaching on a single for UE. Southern Illinois was the first to break through in the third, scoring three runs in four hits in the frame.
Looking to answer, Kynadee Warner and Taylor Howe picked up consecutive hits in the bottom of the third before SIU pitched out of the jam unscathed. The Salukis threatened again in the top of the fourth, loading the bases before clutch pitching by UE starter Kate Ridgway kept it a 3-run game. Rain caused a delay of roughly 20 minutes in the top of the frame.
Warner’s second hit of the game started another threat from the Aces in the bottom of the fifth. Walks by Niki Bode and Morgan Adams loaded the bases with two outs until a long fly out sent the game to the sixth. Southern Illinois extended the lead in the top of the sixth when a 2-run triple by Amanda Knutson made it a 5-0 contest. SIU continued to roll as they plated a total of eight runs in the inning to go up 11-0.
Piggott and Miriah Powell picked up hits in the bottom of the sixth but SIU was able to secure the shutout victyory. UE had six hits on the day with Powell and Warner finishing with two apiece. SIU had 13 hits with Sage Grann going 3-4 with three RBI and a run. Ridgway allowed eight runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings while Cassidy Gall finished the remainder of the game.
Saturday’s game is set for a 2 p.m. start. Seniors Zoe Frossard and Sydney Weatherford will be recognized after the game.
Roberts’ career-high in strikeouts not enough to get Aces baseball past Belmont
The Purple Aces were shut out for only the third time this season
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team began the weekend with a close 3-0 loss to the Belmont Bruins on Friday night.
Sophomore right-hander Kellen Roberts (Monroe, Mich. / Monroe HS) had a career game for the Purple Aces on Friday night, pitching five innings, only allowing five hits, two runs, and a walk while striking out six batters. But Roberts’ big game couldn’t make up for UE’s lack of offense on Friday night against Belmont’s two pitchers. Five different batters recorded a hit for Evansville while three reached base twice in the quiet game.
“It was a competitive Friday night game in the Valley that didn’t go our way,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll after the loss. “Our guys on the mound really competed tonight and gave us a chance. We couldn’t get the big hit through nine innings.”
It was a defensive showdown early in the River City on Friday evening. Neither team allowed a runner to get past second base for the first four innings of the night. Belmont added a hit in the first three innings while the Aces had a single in the first and a double in the fourth from infielder Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley).
The Bruins broke the shutout in the top of the fifth after starting the inning with two free bases. Belmont’s first two batters were hit by pitches and both advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Roberts struck out the next batter and intentionally walked Bruin’s shortstop Pete Daniel, loading the bases.
Belmont took advantage of the situation with a single through the right side to score two runs. UE’s defense was able to get the third out after the runs scored, heading to the bottom of the fifth down by two. Catcher Matt Flaherty (Lake Zurich, Ill. / Bellarmine) singled for Evansville during the frame, but was thrown out on a double play in the next at-bat to end the Aces’ potential scoring chance.
The Bruins added another run to their lead in the sixth with three straight hits off reliever Jack Clevidence (Ankeny, Iowa / Ankeny HS). Clevidence was able to lock in after the hits, striking out the next batter and getting Belmont’s fifth of the inning to ground into a double play.
UE had its best opportunity to end the shutout at the bottom of the sixth inning, as three straight walks from Bruins starter Joe Ruzicka loaded the bases. It looked like Evansville was going to score when McGinnis hit a ball that seemed like it was going to drop into shallow left center field. But Daniels leaped up to grab the ball that was going over his head, not only getting McGinnis out on the play but also firing to second for a double play. The double play ended the sixth inning to head into the final third of the game.
The Aces’ defense and pitching staff kept Belmont mostly quiet over the next three innings, only allowing one hit in 12 batters. UE had a chance in the bottom of the ninth to make something happen as leadoff batter Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) put a single through the right side to start the frame. McGinnis also reached base for Evansville on a walk two at-bats later. But the Aces’ final two batters of the night struck out, falling to the Bruins 3-0.
UE will try to even the series on Saturday afternoon at German American Bank Field. Evansville’s pitcher with the most starts this season, left-hander Kevin Reed (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville HS), will take the mound on Saturday in the middle matchup of the weekend. First pitch between the Aces and Bruins on May 3 is set for 2 p.m., weather permitting.
USI falls in series opener, 10-4
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost the series opener at the University of Tennessee at Martin, 10-4, Friday evening in Martin, Tennessee. USI is 20-25 overall and 9-10 in the OVC, while UTM is 17-27, 8-10 OVC.
The Screaming Eagles, after spotting the Skyhawks an 8-0 lead after two innings, scored three times in the top of the fourth and trailed 8-3. Senior centerfielder Khi Holiday led off with a double and scored on a two-run blast down by junior first baseman Cole Kitchens. The home run was Kitchens’ team-best 11th of the season.
Following a pair of singles and a walk, junior leftfielder Hunter Miller sent a sacrifice fly to left field to score sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd to make the score 8-3.
USI cut the lead in half by the halfway point of the game, 8-4, when Holiday hit a solo home run to left center. The solo blast was Holiday’s second of the year.
UTM got two of the runs back in the bottom of the sixth and re-extended the margin to six, 10-4. The Skyhawks would hold the Eagles scoreless and strand four USI base runners through the final four frames.
Holiday, Kitchens, and Boyd led the Eagles at the plate with two hits each.
On the bump, junior right-hander Blake Kimball started and took the loss. Kimball allowed eight runs on seven hits and four walks, while striking out one in three innings of work.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Screaming Eagles and the Skyhawks continue the series Saturday at 3 p.m. and conclude the three-game set Sunday at 1 p.m.
Following the three-set with UTM, the Eagles return to the USI Baseball Field for the final homestand of the season. The homestand starts Tuesday (May 6) at 6 p.m. when the University of Evansville visits the USI Baseball Field for the first time since 1987.
After USI hosts UE, the Eagles finish the 2025 OVC home schedule by welcoming Southeast Missouri State University for three-game series May 9-11. The homestand concludes May 13 when UE returns to the USI Baseball Field for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
UE track and field completes first day at the Outdoor Music City Challenge
The Purple Aces competed in most of the action on Friday evening
NASHVILLE – The University of Evansville track and field team finished its first day at the Outdoor Music City Challenge, resetting two program records and earning a podium finish in one of the most competitive meets of the season.
Sophomores Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) and Samuel Lea (Worcester, England) reset their Purple Aces program records in the women’s 200-meter dash and the men’s 5K race on Friday. Sophomore thrower Cole Johnson (Salem, Ill. / Salem Community HS) also earned UE’s only podium finish of the day in the men’s discus throw to begin the Outdoor Music City Challenge. Evansville had multiple people earn PRs during Friday’s action in a tight day of competition.
SPRINTS
The Aces’ night on the track began with the 100-meter dash, where sophomore Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS) placed just outside the top 10 with a time of 10.60. UE didn’t return to the track until over an hour later with the men’s and women’s 200-meter dashes. Johnson improved on her program record in the event with a 24.96 finish on Friday night.
In the men’s race, Felton had the fastest finish, placing ninth with a time of 21.37 seconds, just a hundredth of a second behind his PR. Sophomore Connor Shin (Bloomington, Ind. / Bloomington North HS) and junior José Ocampo (Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico) also finished the race just two places away from each other with times of 22.40 and 22.48 seconds.
MID-DISTANCE
Evansville’s only mid-distance race of the night was the men’s and women’s 1500-meter event. Sophomore Chase Hayes (Noblesville, Ind. / Western HS) ran the first 1500 race of her career in Nashville. She finished the race in 4:49.58 for the Aces’ fastest finish in the event during the outdoor season.
In the men’s race, senior Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) set a new PR at 3:54.58 for 24th. Oulgout’s time was also the fastest for UE in the event and was less than 10 seconds off the program record set by David Denny in 1983. The senior was only three seconds off the fastest MVC runner in the event on Friday night, Belmont senior Joel Wolf.
DISTANCE
Similar to mid-distance competition, Evansville only ran in one distance event on Friday night. Sophomores Avery Stephens (Newburg, Ind. / Castle HS) and Lea ran the final event of the evening, the 5K race. Stephens improved her PR in the event by over 15 seconds, finishing in 18:02.92. On the men’s side, Lea had the Aces’ best track finish of the day, placing fifth in the event with a time of 14:35.11 to improve on his own program record by more than six seconds.
THROWS
UE’s day in Nashville began in the field with the men’s and women’s javelin throw. Sophomore Cole Johnson (Salem, Ill. / Salem Community HS) threw just under his PR at 46.24 meters to place fourth in the event. While on the women’s side, Kaitlyn Sansone (Fairfield, Ohio / Mercy McAuley HS) threw 26.11 meters.
Evansville’s other throws event on Friday night was the men’s and women’s discus throw. The women’s event freshman Emma Bertel (Franklin, Ind. / Franklin Community HS) threw for 33.66 meters. On the men’s side, the Aces had two throwers participate in Johnson and sophomore Tyler Cherne (Boardman, Ohio / Boardman HS).
Johnson was again just shy of his PR in the discus event with a throw of 42.32 meters. While he didn’t break his PR, Johnson earned the only podium finish of the day for UE, placing third in the event. Cherne wasn’t far behind Johnson with a throw of 40.34 meters for sixth place.
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Uncover the Shadow War of 1862 Western Kentucky | May 6
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
6 PM
Browning Gallery (lower level)
“We Shall Conquer or Die” — The Untold War Near Evansville
Join us for the Randall and Amy Shephard 2025 Lecture featuring Derrick Lindow, author of We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky.
Lindow will explore a deadly but often overshadowed Civil War struggle waged behind the front lines—one that destroyed lives, drained Union resources, and reached dangerously close to Evansville.
Lindow is a nationally recognized history teacher, a James Madison Fellow, and a co-creator of the Western Theater in the Civil War website. Don’t miss this powerful evening of local and national history.
Willard Public Library encourages patrons and visitors to donate graciously to ensure the continuation of events like this for years to come. The WPL’s Foundation is a non-profit organization registered as a 501(c)(3). >> https://www.willardlib.org/donate
Indiana Grown members showcased Indiana products at exhibition
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