EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
ROBINSON, Ill. – The Vincennes University Trailblazer baseball team took a short trip north to Robinson for another mid-week showdown with the Statesmen Tuesday afternoon.
Vincennes gave up one big inning to host Lincoln Trail, where three fielding errors led to a big six-run inning for the Statesmen.
VU attempted a comeback but ultimately fell short as Lincoln Trail came away with the 12-7 win.
The Statesmen came into the game looking for some revenge against the Blazers after VU picked up the 5-4 win in 10 innings April 19 at Jerry Blemker Field.
Lincoln Trail got started early, scoring a run in each of the first two innings to grab the early 2-0 advantage.
Lincoln Trail grabbed control of the game in the bottom of the third, when the Statesmen scored six runs on three hits in the inning, while VU surrendered three errors and walked one batter.
Vincennes looked to close the gap in the fourth, with sophomore Peyton Lane (New Paris, Ohio) and freshman Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.) leading off the inning with back-to-back doubles.
Evans would come around to score later in the inning on a ground out to cut the deficit to 8-2.
LTC grew their lead back with a pair of runs in the fourth and a run in the fifth before Vincennes scored again in the seventh.
Sophomore Josiah Sizemore (Cambridge City, Ind.) hit a double and scored on a wild pitch. Freshman Mahkai Pelzer (Douglasville, Ga.) reached on an error and would score on an RBI single by freshman Will Egger (Terre Haute, Ind.)
The Statesmen responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh to take a 12-4 lead.
VU looked to mount a massive late comeback in the ninth, with Pelzer, Egger and sophomore Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.) leading off the inning with three-straight singles.
Colton Evans would drive in a run on an RBI single and freshman Nick Kapostasy (Cincinnati, Ohio) followed him with a sacrifice fly to cut the margin to five.
This would be as close as VU would get though as the comeback attempt fell short with Lincoln Trail picking up the 12-7 win on their home field.
“You give up a big inning and give up six runs, four of them unearned and it’s hard to overcome those crooked numbers,†VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “Our guys battled back. We got ourselves back into the game. But we’ve got to do a better job right from the start and not allow so many free bases. A couple free bases and three errors in that inning and all of a sudden you give up six runs in an inning and that’s a tough obstacle to overcome.â€
VU had four multi-hit games at the top of their order Tuesday, with Long, Lane and Evans each coming up with two hits, including doubles by Lane and Evans and Evans picking up a pair of RBI’s.
Will Egger entered the game in the seventh to take over behind the plate and recorded two singles in two plate appearances, while also coming away with an RBI.
Third baseman Brent Widder and outfielders Mark Shallenberger and Eric Roberts powered Evansville’s offense on the night. Widder recorded his 17th multi-hit game of the season, tied for most on the team, while Shallenberger drove in a run with an RBI base-hit in the fifth inning. Roberts helped UE close within one in the seventh with a solo blast, his third home run of the season.
The Aces got out of a jam early in the contest as the Bruins loaded the bases with just one out in the first. Evansville starter Donovan Schultz was able to get out of the situation with a strikeout and a pop-out. After threatening in the first, Belmont added single runs in the second and third to open the scoring.
In the fifth, Evansville got a run back as Mark Shallenberger drove in Danny Borgstrom to halve the Bruins lead. The back-and-forth contest continued in the next half inning as Belmont got a run to go back in front by two runs.
Evansville got a breakthrough in the bottom of the seventh when Eric Roberts launched a homer to right field, getting UE back within one at 3-2.
The Bruins pulled away with a big inning in the top of the eighth, scoring five runs with only one earned, four of which came with two outs, to secure the 8-2 win.
The Aces continue their homestand with a three-game set against Bradley this weekend, beginning with game one on Friday at 6 PM at German American Bank Field.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball could not hold off Kentucky Wesleyan College Tuesday evening, falling 11-7, at the USI Baseball Field on Tri-State Hot Stove League Night. The Screaming Eagles go to 15-26 overall, while the Panthers are 18-24.
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USI spotted KWC a 3-0 lead to start the contest before exploding for six unanswered runs for a 6-3 advantage. The Eagles started scoring in their half of the first inning when senior shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) hit a two-run blast to cut the deficit to 3-2.
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The round-tripper was Hunter’s third home run of the season and 17th of his career. The 17 home runs is tied for 10th all-time in USI history.
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The Eagles knotted the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly by junior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) before taking the lead, 6-3, with a three-run eruption in the third.
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USI sophomore first baseman Michael Conner (Moline, Illinois) kicked off the scoring in the third with an RBI-single for the Eagles’ fourth tally of the game. Sophomore designated hitter Daniel Lopez (Dominican Republic) highlighted the frame with a two-run triple off the left field wall to post the fifth and sixth runs.
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After KWC closed the gap with a tally in the fourth, the Eagles regained the three-run advantage, 7-4, with a tally in the fifth when Lopez crossed the plate on an RBI-triple by sophomore third baseman Tyler Wheeler (Sellersburg, Indiana).
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The Panthers, however, were not done, rallying to close the gap with a pair of runs in the sixth and took the lead for good, 11-7, with a five-run eighth. KWC would strand three Eagles on base in the final two innings to get the win.
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On the mound, freshman right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) took the loss in relief. Hutson (1-2) allowed two runs on one hit and two walks, while striking out one.
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Up Next for the Eagles:
USI finishes the homestand and the 2022 home schedule April 29-May 1 when it hosts Missouri University of Science & Technology for Alumni Weekend and Senior Day. The 2010 NCAA Division II national championship team will be recognized prior to the April 30 doubleheader.Â
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The Eagles have a 25-8 all-time series lead with Missouri S&T. The two teams have not met since 2019 when they split four games, while USI has won seven of the last nine since 2015.
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The Miners are 17-19 overall and 5-11 in the GLVC after being swept by the University of Illinois Springfield at home this weekend. Missouri S&T travels to Pittsburg State University Wednesday before visiting USI next weekend.
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Game time set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference seeding and a series victory is on the line on Wednesday when the University of Evansville softball team welcomes Indiana State to Cooper Stadium for a 5 p.m. game. The teams split a doubleheader last Wednesday in Terre Haute and both have an 8-12 league mark entering the game, which will be carried on ESPN+.
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Last Time Out
– Things turned around quickly over the course of the weekend for the Purple Aces in their series at Bradley; after dropping the opener by a 10-1 final, UE stormed back to split Saturday’s doubleheader with a 7-3 win before taking a 6-3 decision on Sunday to clinch the series
– Sydney Weatherford recorded both wins in the circle, allowing three earned runs in 14 innings of work
– Alexa Davis paced the offense in the two wins over the Braves, accumulating three RBI in each contest
Three in a Row
– Freshman Sydney Weatherford was a perfect 3-for-3 in the circle last week, earning three conference wins
– After helping UE rebound in game two at Indiana State, Weatherford won the final two contests of the road series at Bradley
– In 21 innings, she accumulated a 1.33 ERA while walking just two batters
– The effort against the Sycamores lowered her season ERA to 2.73, which is 6th in the MVC
– She had the best start of her career at Loyola, throwing a 2-hit shutout while tossing her fourth complete game in the last five starts
Raising the Bar
– Over the course of the last week, Alexa Davis is batting .437 with nine RBI, four doubles and a total of seven hits in 16 at-bats
– Davis recorded three RBI in each of the two UE wins over the Braves
– She provided one of the biggest hits of the season on April 20 at Indiana State, connecting on a 2-run home run in the 5th inning of the 3-2 win
– Davis completed the doubleheader against the Sycamores with four hits in seven at-bats
– In the series finale against UNI, she was 2-3 with two doubles, two runs scored along with a walk and steal to help the Aces take a 6-3 win
– Her season average checks in at .279
Run Rule
– Over the last four games, senior Mackenzie McFeron has posted five hits in 11 at-bats while scoring a total of 10 runs
– Her efforts have been pivotal in UE going 3-1 over that span
– Through the opening 20 games of the MVC slate, she leads the team with a .327 batting average and her efforts in conference have seen her season average rise to .291
– She had the first 3-hit game of her career in the April 10 finale at Illinois State
– McFeron has 12 RBI in her career with nine of them coming in 2022
Attorney General Todd Rokita on Monday led 16 states to demand that the Biden administration stop expanding the availability of welfare assistance to non-citizens by redefining the way the federal government applies “the public charge ground of inadmissibility.â€
“If Joe Biden showed half the concern for U.S. citizens that he shows for non-citizens wanting to enter our country, he might actually do something good for America,†Attorney General Rokita said. “Instead of inspiring them to embrace the American Dream, he is encouraging dependency on government and saddling working-class taxpayers with the bill.â€
Biden seems determined to make things worse rather than better, Attorney General Rokita said.
“By weakening the public charge rule, DHS will exacerbate this already explosive situation,†Attorney General Rokita said.
Under the law, any non-citizen seeking legal admission to the U.S. (or updates to their status or visa while residing here) must show that they are not likely to become a “public charge.†Biden is proposing that DHS eliminate consideration of most welfare benefits that do not constitute direct cash assistance when making this determination.
In promoting such a change, DHS would ignore the fact that aliens may still be dependent on costly benefits even if not primarily relying on cash benefits for income subsistence.
Non-cash benefits include such programs administered and supported in Indiana as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIPâ€), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAPâ€), Medicaid, and most federal housing or rental assistance programs.
“The purpose of the public charge rule is that we don’t want aliens coming to the United States and becoming a burden on our taxpayers,†Attorney General Rokita said. “This proposed rule is contrary to our national principle of self-sufficiency.â€
Attorney General Rokita expressed his concerns in a letter he sent to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services after enlisting the signatures of likeminded attorneys general.
Aces Remain In 8th
PADUCAH, Ky. – Leading the way for the University of Evansville men’s golf team in Monday’s second round of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship was Henry Keil, who carded a 2-over 74.
Kiel lowered his tally by six strokes from the first to the second round at the Country Club of Paducah. His total score of 154 is 26th overall and third on the Purple Aces squad. Leading the UE contingent after 36 holes is the duo of Carson Parker and Caleb Wassmer. Parker followed up his opening round 76 with a 77 while Wassmer finished today with a 78 following a 75 a day ago. Both are tied for 21st with scores of 153.
Following Kiel in the order is Isaac Rohleder. He made the largest jump for the Aces, dropping his score from an 85 to a 76 on Monday. His 161 is tied for 36th. Dallas Koth also made a nice leap. His second-round score of 78 was seven better than his first-round score.
Southern Illinois has a firm grasp in the team standings, pacing Valparaiso by 17 strokes going into the final 18 holes on Tuesday. SIU posted a 285 in round two and stand with a 580. Valpo is in second with a 597 while Illinois State and Drake are tied for third with a 601.
Max Kreikemeier of Missouri State holds the individual lead. One of the lowest rounds in championship history saw him card a 5-under 67 to jump in front. His 141 is three ahead of Tom Cleaton of the Salukis.ß