Freshman won by three strokes

 TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Freshman Louise Standtke recorded an even round of 72 on Monday to take top honors at the Indiana State Spring Invitational at the Country Club of Terre Haute.

After opening with a 1-under 71 on Sunday, Standtke’s even par of 72 gave her a final score of 143.  She bested Hunar Mittal and Olivia Jang of Purdue Fort Wayne by three strokes.  It is the first victory of her Purple Aces career and second in a row for the program following Kate Petrova’s win in last week’s Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge.

Led by Standtke’s efforts, UE finished in second place in the final team standings.  The Mastodons won with a 2-round score of 596 while the Aces finished with a 600.

Second for Evansville and 5^th overall was Mallory Russell.  She matched Standtke’s even score on Monday.  Combined with Sunday’s 76, Russell finished with a 148.  Kate Petrova came in 12^th place.  Rounds of 76 and 77 saw her finish the weekend at 9-over-par.

Elizabeth Mercer and Jane Grankina rounded out the UE team scores.  After carding a 79 to open the tournament, Mercer lowered her score on Monday to a 77.  Her 156 put her in a tie for 18^th.  Grankina also lowered her score.  Following an 81 in the first round, she posted a 78 in the second 18. With a 159, she tied for 28^th.

Izzy Steele was the top finisher for UE’s individuals.  Rounds of 77 and 78 saw her finish in 17^th with a 155.  Trinity Dubbs tied for 30^th.  Her scores checked in at 82 and 78.

In less than a week, the Aces will be in Waterloo, Ill. for the 2025 MVC Championship.

• Huntsville Havoc:
  • Record: 36-15-5, 77 Points, 2nd Place
  • Leading Goal Scorer: Austin Alger (23 Goals)
  • Leading Point Scorer: Buster Larsson (60 Points)
  • Primary Goaltender: Mike Robinson (26-7-3, .925 Save %)
  • Thunderbolts 24-25 Record vs HSV: 3-6

Aces to face Indiana State on Tuesday

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Trailing by a 10-3 score in the middle of the 6^th the University of Evansville softball team scored five runs in the bottom of the inning before falling just short in a 10-8 loss to Belmont on Sunday at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.

Jenna Donohoo led the Purple Aces offense, going 3-4 with a run.  Niki Bode, Taylor Howe, and Miriah Powell recorded two hits apiece.  Kate Ridgway threw the first three innings with three runs scoring on five hits.  Cassidy Gall suffered the loss with three runs, one earned, crossing the plate in two innings of work.

Looking to take the early lead, Belmont hit a 1-out double in the first while recording another hit in the second.  Kate Ridgway pitched out of both jams unscathed.

Evansville had its first chance in the bottom half of the second.  With one out, Miriah Powell and Jenna Donohoo both singled to put runners on the corners.  Abby Bode reached on a 2-out walk to load the bases before a strikeout kept the game scoreless. The Bruins offense looked to break the scoreless tie in the third as they loaded the bags for the first time before Ridgway ended the threat with a ground out.

In the bottom of the third, it was Niki Bode opening the scoring.  Taylor Howe reached on an error to open the frame before Bode’s hit gave the Purple Aces a 1-0 lead.  It did not take long for the Bruins to respond was Madison Dolecki hit a 3-run shot in the top of the fourth to give her squad a 3-1 advantage.

Just as fast as the Bruins jumped in front, the Aces stormed back to tie the score.  Jenna Donohoo led the bottom of 4^th off with a single while Keghan Pye reached on an error.  That brought Abby Bode to the plate, who singled up the middle to bring in Donohoo.  Two batters later, Taylor Howe’s infield single knotted the score at 3-3.  The back-and-forth action continued as Belmont retook the lead with a 3-run top of the 5^th.  Four more in the 6^th inning pushed the lead to 10-3.

UE’s offense did not give up, scoring five runs in the bottom half of the 6^th.  Niki Bode’s RBI double brought in Abby Bode while Morgan Adams followed with a 2-run double to right center.  Powell added a 2-run double to bring the Aces within two at 10-8.  That is as close as the Aces would get as the Bruins finished with the win.  Niki Bode looked to tie it up with a home run in the final at-bat, but was inches away as the ball was caught at the warning track.

On Tuesday, the Aces are set to travel to Indiana State for a doubleheader.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball swept a doubleheader from Morehead State University, 9-5 and 14-6, Sunday afternoon at German American Bank Park at Charles Braun Stadium in Evansville. USI is 15-15 overall and 6-2 in the OVC, while MSU goes to 10-18, 1-7 OVC.
 
Game 1:
USI rallied from a 5-0 deficit, scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth, to win the opening game, 9-5.
 
The MSU Eagles built a 5-0 lead after five and a half frames, scoring three in the third and single tallies in the fifth and sixth. Morehead State also had USI’s bats stymied and without a hit until the bottom of the sixth.
 
USI started their comeback in the sixth by scoring three times to cut the deficit to 5-3. The three-run rally was highlighted by a two single by junior third baseman/leftfielder Patrick McLellan.
 
The score would remain 5-3 until the bottom of the eighth when USI exploded for six runs to take a 9-5 advantage. The six-run rally was punctuated by an RBI triple by McLennan to tie the score, 5-5; an RBI double by junior first baseman Kannon Coakley for a 6-5 lead; and a three-run home run by sophomore second baseman/third baseman Parker Martin to seal the 9-5 win. The home run was Martin’s first of the season.
 
McLellan and Martin led the way for USI with three RBIs each, while Martin also had a team-high two hits in the win. USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens saw his 17-game hitting streak end, going hitless in four at-bats.
 
USI graduate left-hander Camden Dimidjian picked up the victory in relief. Dimidjian (1-1) got his first win as a Screaming Eagle by going three innings and allowing one run on two hits. He also struck out two in the three innings.
 
USI senior right-hander Ian Anderson picked up his first USI save by striking out the side in the ninth after entering with the bases loaded and no one out.
 
Game 2:
USI junior right-hander Blake Kimball threw seven strong innings and sophomore third baseman Parker Martin drove in five RBIs to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 14-6 win in the nightcap.
 
The Screaming Eagles opened the nightcap with a 1-0 lead when junior shortstop Clayton Slack scored on a groundout by junior leftfielder Patrick McLellan. The lead would only hold until the top of the second when Morehead State took the lead for the first time, 2-1.
 
USI bounced back to tie the score in the third on an RBI ground out by junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens. Morehead State responded right back with a tally in the top of the fourth to regain the lead, 3-2, and would hold the margin until the bottom of the fifth when the Screaming Eagles exploded for six runs on six hits to lead 8-3. Martin led the offensive explosion with a two-run double.
 
The Screaming Eagles added two more runs in the seventh and sealed the victory with four more in the eighth. Martin, once again, led the offensive punch with a two-run blast in the seventh and an RBI walk in the eighth.
 
Martin was three-for-seven in the doubleheader with two runs scored and eight RBIs.
 
Kimball (4-3) was dominant in seven innings of work, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. He also tied a season-high with five strikeouts.
 
USI senior right-hander Hiroyuki Yamada and freshman right-hander Colin Wolfe finished the game on the mound for the Screaming Eagles. Yamada threw a third of an inning, allowing three runs, while Wolfe threw 1.2 scoreless innings.