Aces and Sycamores to meet up at 4 p.m.

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With a 9-game road trip completed, the University of Evansville softball team will be back at Cooper Stadium on Wednesday for a doubleheader against Indiana State.  First pitch is set for 4 p.m. for game one with the second contest to follow…both games will be carried on The Valley on ESPN.

 Last Time Out

– Over the weekend, the Purple Aces traveled to Drake for a 3-game series

– The Bulldogs opened with a close 2-0 win before scoring five runs in the first inning of game two on their way to an 8-4 win…on Sunday, they held off a late rally by UE to finish with a 5-4 win

– Alyssa Barela and Eryn Gould each went 4-9 in the series to finish hitting .444…Barela launched her first two home runs of the season in Saturday’s second contest while adding a double…Gould added a walk while wrapping up the weekend with a .545 on-base total

– Despite going 0-2 in the series, Izzy Vetter recorded a 2.33 ERA

Settling In

– Early in the season, Alyssa Barela battled injury before making her season debut on March 20, picking up a hit against Loyola

– She recorded just one hit in her next 14 at-bats, but rebounded with a solid weekend in the series at Drake, going 4-for-9 in the series with two home runs and a 1.222 slugging percentage

– Barela earned a walk in the opener against the Bulldogs before going 2-3 with her first two home runs of the season in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader…on Sunday, she added two more hits in four trips to the plate and in just three games, she raised her batting average from .133 to .250

Putting a Streak Together

– Jessica Fehr enters Wednesday’s doubleheader with a team-best 8-game hit streak…it is tied for UE’s longest streak of the season

– Fehr is batting a solid .303 on the season and over the last eight games, she has seen her average rise 43 points

– She has recorded a hit in 10 of her last 26 at-bats

University of Southern Indiana Softball hosts former Great Lakes Valley Conference foe and current Midwest Region adversary Kentucky Wesleyan College Wednesday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at the USI Softball Field.

The Screaming Eagles (11-16, 9-11 GLVC) also visit Missouri University of Science & Technology for a GLVC doubleheader Saturday at noon in Rolla, Missouri, before traveling to St. Louis to take on Maryville University in a conference twinbill Sunday at noon.

All three doubleheaders will be carried on the GLVC Sports Network, with live stats available at GoUSIEagles.com.

Spectator Policies
• USI: Each USI student-athlete is allowed up to 4 guests, plus the first 40 USI students are admitted…guests from visiting teams are not permitted at this time.
• Missouri S&T: Attendance is limited to guests of S&T student-athletes only.
• Maryville: Attendance is limited to guests of Maryville student-athletes only.

USI Softball Notes
• USI bats come alive. USI Softball went 5-1 last week thanks to an offensive explosion. In six games, the Eagles hit .381 as a team with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, a triple and 48 runs. USI racked up a .688 slugging percentage as well as a .434 on-base percentage.

• Individually. USI had 10 different players hit .333 or better and nine players with a .444 batting average or better last week. Eight different players hit home runs for the Eagles, while eight different players had at least three RBI on the week.

• In the circle. The Eagles’ offense wasn’t the only thing making noise last weekend. USI’s pitching staff went a combined 5-1 with a 1.11 ERA and .234 opponent batting average. All four of USI’s pitchers saw action, with sophomore Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) going 4-0 with a .094 ERA and .221 opponent batting average. Goodin racked up 23 strikeouts in 22.1 innings of work.

• Last week’s offensive leaders. Junior pitcher Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) hit a team-best .583 with a double, home run and five RBI, while junior third baseman Mary Bean (Schaumburg, Illinois) hit .500 with a double, triple, two home runs and seven RBI. Goodin added a .444 batting average to go along with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI, while senior outfielder Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) had a .444 batting average, three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.

• Webb drives in seven in single game. Webb drove in seven runs in USI’s 19-0 win over Southwest Baptist Saturday. She had a two-run home run in the second inning, a grand slam in the third inning and an RBI-double in the fourth inning. Her seven-RBI were the most by a USI Softball player since Kelsey Jankowski drove in seven runs in a win over Brescia on March 21, 2012. Webb is one of only four USI Softball players to drive in seven or more runs in a single game since 2000, joining Jankowski, Shannon Emmons (7 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan on April 1, 2003) and Rachel Bowling (8 vs. Saint Joseph’s, March 31, 2001). Pat Snell set USI’s single-game record with nine RBI against St. Mary’s in 1978.

• 19-0. The 19 runs USI scored in game two of its double-header sweep of Southwest Baptist Saturday were the most runs for the Eagles in a single game since they scored 22 runs in a win over the College of St. Rose in 2006 and are the most runs USI has scored in a shutout since at least prior to the 1990 season.

• Batting around. USI sent 10 or more players to the plate in a single-inning four times last week, including three times this past weekend. On the year, USI has sent 10 or more players to the plate in a single frame five times.

• Strong schedule. While the Eagles have had some hiccups along the way, their 2021 schedule has not been easy by any means. Of their 16 losses, five have come against teams that are currently ranked in the top seven of the NCAA’s Power 10 rankings. USI has lost seven games by one run and seven by two runs or less.

• Scouting the Eagles. USI saw a five-game winning streak come to an end with its 2-0 loss to Drury in game two of its GLVC doubleheader Sunday. The Eagles are led, offensively, by freshman centerfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Webb, while Goodin is pacing USI in the circle. Bedrick is third in the GLVC with a team-high .412 batting average and leads the league with 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts. Webb is fourth in the league with a .402 batting average and is tied for first in the conference with 11 doubles. Goodin is 6-5 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitch) and .242 opponent batting average.

• Scouting the opposition (KWC). The Panthers are 10-17 overall and 4-8 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Sophomore outfielder Meryck Hardley hits .380 to lead the Panthers, while senior utility player Madison Scott is hitting .322 with a team-high 20 RBI.  Sophomore pitcher Evyn Hendrickson is 7-7 in the circle for the Panthers, posting a 3.28 ERA, .223 opponent batting average and 134 strikeouts in 89.2 innings of work.

After the two teams played to a scoreless tie in the opening period, the Hawks took a 1-0 advantage as senior midfielder Aubrey Reis found the back of the net in the 54th minute.

USI (7-6-1) nearly tied the game in the 65th minute when freshman defender/midfielder Seth Davis (Hoover, Alabama) got loose on a breakaway.

Quincy freshman goalkeeper Michele Barletta met Davis with a sliding tackle inside the box; but deflected the ball back to USI senior defender Justin Brooks (Fishers, Indiana), who fired off a shot at what looked to be a wide open net.

Brooks’ shot, however, was stopped inches in front of the goal by Quincy junior defender Joel McIlroy, who kicked the ball right back to Davis. Before the ball could land, Davis got a header off, once again on what looked to be a defenseless goal.

The shot, though, was once again blocked inches in front of the goal, this time by freshman defender Craig Chisholm, who flicked the ball out of harm’s way.

Quincy (10-4-1) was forced to play a man down after Chisholm drew a red card for a dangerous tackle that tripped up USI junior defender Colten Walsh (St. Louis, Missouri) from behind. USI got six shots off in the final 20 minutes of the contest, including three that required saves by Quincy’s goalkeeper.

The Eagles looked like they caught another break with just over a minute left in the game when it appeared that Quincy freshman midfielder Edrey Caceres was called with a handball just inside the box, which would have given the Eagles’ a penalty kick.

However, the referee ruled that the foul occurred about a foot outside the box, which gave USI a free kick, but no clear shot at the goal. Walsh took a crack at the goal, but his shot sailed wide and it looked as though that would be USI’s final attempt.

USI, however, had a throw in on the near sideline in Quincy’s territory with 10 seconds to play and USI parlayed that into a shot on goal by senior forward Graham Miller (Owensboro, Kentucky). Miller’s shot, though, was stopped by Barletta with a second on the clock as USI’s season came to an end.

Senior keeper Justin Faas (Carmel, Indiana) was charged with the loss despite an outstanding effort between the pipes. Faas gave up just one goal, but made seven stops, including five in the opening half, to keep the Eagles in contention.

USI ended the contest with a 15-14 edge in shots and a 4-1 lead in corner kicks, but Quincy held an 8-6 lead in shots on goal.

The Hawks travel to St. Charles, Missouri, Friday to take on the No. 2 seed, Maryville University, in the semifinals, while USI’s 2020-21 campaign comes to an end.

Just 18 holes remain in the tournament

 

SAINT CHARLES, Mo. – An unbelievable day on the links has the University of Evansville women’s golf team in the top spot at the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championship at Bogey Hills Country Club.

With two out of three rounds complete, the Purple Aces are ten shots in front of UNI.  Team score of 300 and 304 gave UE a 604, which is ten ahead of UNI and 14 in front of a third-place tie between Illinois State and Southern Illinois with 18 holes remaining.

An incredible team effort across the board has the Purple Aces in front.  Sophia Rohleder is on top of the leaderboard with a 2-round score of 149.  Following a 75 to open the championship, Rohleder carded a 3-over 71 to take the lead.  Her score is one in front of a second-place tie between UNI’s Emily Snelling and Faith Belmear from Missouri State.

She leads a contingent of four UE players in the top 14.  Second on the squad is Alyssa McMinn, who is tied for fourth place with a 151.  While the majority of participants in the tournament saw their scores rise from the first to second round, McMinn did the opposite.  Following a 76, she finished round two with a 75 to wrap up the day in a top five spot.  She is two off of Rohleder’s leading pace.

Caitlin O’Donnell put forth a clutch effort, opening play with her top round of the year.  A 2-over 73 helped her to complete the first day in a tie for 8^th place.  O’Donnell carded an 80 in the second round to finish with a 153.  One behind her was Allison Enchelmayer.  Rounds of 76 and 78 gave her a tally of 154, which is in 14^th spot.  Mallory Russell got better as the day went along.  After scoring an 85 in the opener, Russell lowered her total by eight strokes, carding a 77 to finish with a 162.

Four UE golfers rank inside the top 14 while just one other team has four ranked inside the top 20.

Evansville’s quest for a championship continues with the final round on Tuesday at 8 a.m.