April 13, 2019. That was the last time University of Southern Indiana Softball played a home game. 713 days. That is the total number of days from the last time the Screaming Eagles got to play a game on their home field.

USI (2-9, 0-4 GLVC), which has played 42 consecutive games away from its own facility, finally gets to open its home schedule Saturday at noon when it hosts Quincy University in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at the USI Softball Field. The Eagles also host Truman State University in a GLVC twinbill Sunday at noon.

While spectators will be limited to two pre-approved guests per USI player/coach, the games can be watched on the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats also will be available at GoUSIEagles.com.

Notes
• Eagles trying to snap slide. USI Softball suffered four straight losses last weekend to open GLVC play. The Eagles lost 7-2 and 9-1 at Lewis University before falling, 8-7, in eight innings to the University of Illinois Springfield in game one and 10-2 in game two.

• Tucker sees circle for first time. Head Coach Sue Kunkle is having to get creative with her line up due to recent injuries, especially in the pitcher’s circle where senior Jessica Tucker (Georgetown, Kentucky) saw action for the first time in her collegiate career last weekend. Tucker, who has thrown batting practice at times for USI, saw action in all four of USI’s games last week, recording three strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. Last weekend was the first time since Tucker’s sophomore year in high school that she has pitched in a game.

• Webb extends hitting streak. Senior outfielder Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) extended her career-high hitting streak to 15 games dating back to the end of the 2020 campaign. Webb’s hitting streak is USI’s longest since Sunny Oelling hit safely in 15 straight games in 2004. Amber Huse owns the program record with a 27-game hitting streak in 1994.

• Bedrick putting together impressive streak. Freshman outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) also is putting together an impressive hitting streak. Bedrick, who has hit safely in nine of USI’s 11 games this season, has had a hit in the last eight contests. She also has a team-high six multi-hit games and is a perfect 7-of-7 in stolen bases this year.

• Stolen bases. Speaking of stolen bases, Bedrick’s seven stolen bases are the most in a single season since Assistant Coach MacKenzi Dorsam and Toni Braun each swiped seven bases for the Eagles in 2015.

• Leaders. Bedrick currently leads the Eagles with a .472 batting average to go along with a .513 on-base percentage, while Webb is hitting .459 with a team-high four doubles, one home run, eight RBI and a .649 slugging percentage.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After two weeks off the University of Evansville women’s soccer team picked up a double overtime, 0-0, draw against Valparaiso, Wednesday at Arad McCutchan Stadium.

The Purple Aces looked sharp on both sides of the pitch, but where not able to find the back of the goal. UE put up 10 shots, outshooting the opponent for the first time this season, while holding Valpo to just four total shots.

Evansville came out hot in both halves, recording five shot attempts with one on goal in the first half and four in the second.

Emily Ormson recorded two shot attempts, which included a missed penalty kick at the 66-minuite mark. Monique Landrim also added two shot attempts in her 46 minutes of action.

The Aces defense continued the lockdown mentality and stretched their streak of holding teams scoreless to 342 minutes.

Evansville schedule to next take on Drake at 1 p.m. CT on March 28 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Aces pick up 9-5 victory on Wednesday

Katie McLean and Hannah Hood recorded three RBI apiece to help the University of Evansville softball erase a 4-0 deficit to take a 9-5 victory over SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday evening at Cooper Stadium.

With the Purple Aces (14-7, 2-1 MVC) trailing by a pair, McLean hit a single to shallow center that knotted the game at 4-4.  An inning later, it was Hood coming through with the big hit.  After SIUE (2-13) scored to take a one run lead, Hood belted a double to right-center that proved to be the game-winner.  As a team, UE recorded nine runs on nine hits.  McLean, Marah Wood and Lindsay Renneisen had two hit apiece while Renneisen scored two runs.

In the circle, Izzy Vetter made the start, throwing a scoreless three frames while striking out four.  Megan Brenton tossed a single frame before Erin Kleffman picked up her second win of the year, going the final three innings while allowing one run on two hits.  The Cougars posted four hits in the contest.

Neither team recorded a hit until the fourth inning when SIUE posted a pair of hits on their way to four runs.  Two hits and an error helped them jump out to a 4-0 lead.  Eryn Gould was hit by a pitch in her opening two at-bats of the game before Marah Wood notched the first Evansville hit of the game to lead off the bottom half of the fourth.  Lindsay Renneisen added a 1-out bunt single in the frame before a single by Bella Coffey brought home the first run of the game.

Hannah Hood added a sacrifice fly before Katie McLean tied the game with a bases loaded 2-run single.  The Cougars wasted little time jumping back in front, scoring once more in the fifth, but Evansville countered with a rally of its own.  Another Wood hit was followed by a Jenna Lis walk.  That brought Renneisen to the plate, who laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases.  With one out, Hannah Hood delivered a 2-RBI double that put the Aces back in front by a 6-5 tally.

Alyssa Barela, McLean and Haley Woolf each had RBIs that extended the UE lead to 9-5 and reliever Erin Kleffman shut SIUE down from there on the way to her second win of the season.

Evansville continues its homestand with a 3-game series ag

With one day of finals complete at the 2021 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, No. 9 Indiana sits in ninth place with 18 team points at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

In the lone event of the evening, the Hoosier 800 Freestyle Relay team of freshman Tomer Frankel, junior Van Mathias, sophomore Brendan Burns, and junior Jack Franzman placed ninth overall with a time of 6:14.68. The time ranks as the sixth quickest time in program history.

The Hoosiers dropped 1.44 seconds from their entry seed time and were the top finishing Big Ten Conference team, topping the times set by Michigan (6:15.54, 11th place), Ohio State (6:16.63, 14th place), and Wisconsin (6:19.34, 17th place).

The lead off split of 1:32.98 from Frankel marked a career-best time in the 200 Freestyle and ranks him as the fourth-fastest performer in the history of the event at Indiana.

Each of the four Hoosier swimmers earned Honorable Mention All-America status for their efforts in the race.

FINALS RESULTS

800 FREESTYLE RELAY

9. Tomer Frankel, Van Mathias, Brendan Burns, Jack Franzman – 6:14.68 (Honorable Mention All-America)

The 2021 NCAA Championships will continue on Thursday morning with the prelims of the 500 Freestyle, 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, and 1-meter dive. The action gets underway at 10 a.m. ET.