EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball saw its season-opening five-game winning streak snapped by Lake Erie College, 6-3, Monday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles are 5-1 to start the year, while Lake Erie opens spring 1-2.   
 
USI struck first in the fourth inning, scoring twice to take a 2-0 lead. Sophomore third baseman Nolan Cook (Evansville, Indiana) knocked in the first run with an RBI-single before sophomore second baseman Alex Archuleta (Evansville, Indiana) pushed sophomore first baseman Adam Wildeman (Evansville, Indiana) across after hitting in to a double play.
 
The Storm struck for all of their runs in the top of the fifth when they scored six times. USI would get one of the runs back in the bottom of the fifth when senior shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) scored on a wild pitch for the eventual final 6-3 score.
 
Sophomore right-hander Carter Stamm (Jasper, Indiana) took the loss for the Eagles on the mound. Stamm (1-1) allowed four runs, three earned, on two hits and a walk, while striking out three.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
 
USI concludes the first home stand of the season with a three-game set versus Trevecca Nazarene University Friday and Saturday at the USI Baseball Field.
 
The Trojans of Trevecca Nazarene are 10-1 overall with all 10 victories coming against GLVC competition through the first three weeks of the season. Trevecca Nazarene has won nine-straight after sweeping four from Truman State University last weekend.
 
The Trojans hold the all-time series lead, 6-4, following a series sweep of the Eagles in Nashville, Tennessee, last spring.
 

EVANSVILLE – In a pair of close contests, the University of Evansville baseball team dropped a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon to Dayton, 4-2 and 5-4, on Sunday in German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

“Losing two close games is tough early in the season. We need to learn how to win with quality outs out of the bullpen and an offensive approach late in games to win,” said Aces head baseball coach Wes Carroll. “You have to credit Dayton’s pitching staff because they did a great job against our plan at the plate.”

Game One: Dayton 4, Evansville 2

Both starting pitchers opened the day on a roll as the Aces Nick Smith and Dayton’s Ryan Steinhauer faced the minimum through three innings. The Flyers got on the board first in the fourth, recording a pair of runs on three hits before Smith shutdown the Flyer threat. In the bottom half of the fourth, Evansville responded, scoring a run on RBI base hit up the middle from Simon Scherry that scored Brent Widder. Scherry would work his way to second with just one out, but the Aces went down on back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.

In the sixth, Smith was relieved, finishing his outing with five innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits, while striking-out four. Coming in to pitch for the Aces was Nate Hardman, who was difficult for the Flyers to hit. The seventh inning saw the Aces tie the game on an RBI single from Eric Roberts that pushed home Tanner Craig. Evansville looked poised to add additional runs, but Roberts was thrown out at home and another strikeout ended the inning.

With the game headed to the ninth, Dayton took advantage of their last chance, scoring twice in the top half of the inning and shutting the door on the Aces in the bottom half as the Flyers captured the 4-2 win.

Game Two: Dayton 5, Evansville 4

It was Evansville who jumped on the Flyers first in the bottom of the first of game two. The Aces loaded the bases with just one out and scored Roberts and Evan Berkey on a single to left from Brendan Hord that ended the day for Dayton starter Parker Bard after just a third of an inning of work. Poised to add more, Evansville’s threat was ended with back-to-back outs from reliever Anthony Hattrup.

Dayton scratched back a run in the top of the second to narrow its deficit to one at 2-1, but overall, Aces starter Shane Harris worked well through the first few innings. In the fourth, Dayton jumped on top, doing so by way of a two-run homer to right from Alex Neff. The Flyers pushed their lead to 4-2 an inning later with an RBI sac bunt.

Harris’ day came to an end in the sixth having gone 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits, striking-out six. The Flyers would add their final run in the seventh, but the Aces built a comeback bid in the eighth and ninth. Trailing by three runs, Chase Hug scored on an error in the eighth, getting within a pair of runs at 5-3. With the game on the line, Evansville generated some offense, sparked by Tanner Craig’s ability to reach base on a strikeout as the leadoff batter in the inning due to an errant throw from the Flyer catcher. Back-to-back outs put the Aces in a tough spot, but Mark Shallenberger delivered a needed RBI on a blooper into center that scored Craig and put the Aces just a run back. Down to their final out, Flyers’ reliever Jake Silverstein got a strikeout, earning the 5-4 win for Dayton.

Aces finish weekend with 3-1 record

 HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Minutes after Southern Miss tied the score at 1-1, Bella Coffey hit a 2-run double to help the University of Evansville softball team finish the Hub City Challenge with a 3-1 win over Southern Miss.

Evansville’s win caps off another strong weekend that saw the Purple Aces go 3-1 while improving to 9-5 on the season with three of those losses coming to opponents ranked in the top eight in the nation.

Izzy Vetter was the story through the first five innings on Sunday.  The senior allowed just one Southern Miss hit in the opening five frames while the offense gave her a 1-0 lead in the third.  UE threatened in the first inning when a 1-out single by Jessica Fehr was followed by a double from Marah Wood.  Fehr rounded third before an excellent throw got the out at home.

Two innings later, Fehr continued to swing the hot bat, reaching on a 2-out double.  Wood followed with her second double of the contest and Fehr crossed the plate for the first run of the game.  The score remained 1-0 in favor of UE until the sixth when the Golden Eagles knotted the score at 1-1, picking up three of their four hits on the day.

In the seventh, the Aces offense wasted little time in working to retake the lead.  Hannah Hood led off with a walk and Alexa Davis followed with a single.  The duo advanced to second and third on the play and gave Bella Coffey a big opportunity.  Coffey delivered, doubling down the right field line to put Evansville on top at 3-1.  Vetter was solid in the seventh, allowing one walk before recording the final two outs to clinch the win.  She picked up win #7 of the season.

Fehr and Wood accounted for four of UE’s eight hits in the game.  Fehr, Hood and Davis scored the three Aces runs.

Home action opens next weekend with the UE Softball Invitational.  Running Friday through Sunday, the Aces are set to face Oakland, Green Bay, Morehead State, Creighton and Bowling Green.