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HOT JOBS
THUNDERBOLTS TO HOST CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY INSIDE FORD CENTER THIS TUESDAY
Evansville, In.: As the Thunderbolts celebrate winning the franchise’s first-ever President’s Cup title with their sweep of the Knoxville Ice Bears in the Final, the team will be hosting a special Championship Rally inside Ford Center this Tuesday the 29th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, moved indoors from the Plaza due to the possibility of inclement weather.
Fans will be able to enter Ford Center through the main entrance at 6:00pm and make their way through the event level hallways, where they will be directed to the Ford Center floor. The celebration will begin shortly after doors open, as the Thunderbolts players and staff will appear on stage with the President’s Cup, and selected players and staff will speak from the stage. After speaking is finished, the President’s Cup will be available for photo opportunities, and players will be present to meet and greet with throughout the remainder of the celebration. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase general merchandise, and there will be snacks and drinks for sale. There will also be a table where fans can inquire about or sign up for season tickets for the 2025-26 season.
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
UE men’s basketball adds Keishon Porter
Porter joins the Purple Aces from North Carolina Central
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another addition to the University of Evansville men’s basketball team was announced on Wednesday when head coach David Ragland officially welcomed Keishon Porter.
Porter brings a wealth of experience to the Purple Aces program following two seasons at North Carolina Central. He also spent his freshman campaign at Radford before playing at Cape Fear Community College.
“We want to officially welcome Keishon and his family to our Evansville community and basketball family,” Ragland said. “K.P. Is a high energy defender that plays above the rim. Our Aces fans will love watching Keishon compete on a nightly basis.”
As a senior at NC Central last season, Porter averaged 10.8 point, 3.3 rebounds, and 25.3 minutes per game. He was a 47.9% shooter from the field while ranking in the top ten in the MEAC with a 72.2% free throw tally. His top performance of the season was a 25-point, 10-rebounds game against Mid-Atlantic Christian.
Entering the 2024-25 campaign, Porter was a Preseason All-MEAC Third Team selection. That came on the heels of his junior season with the Eagles where he averaged 8.9 points and 20.8 minutes per game. In a contest against South Carolina State, he scored his top mark of 37 points on a 14-of-17 showing from the field.
“It felt like family when I got there for the visit, feel it’s a spot I can work and develop on my game to get to the next level,” Porter exclaimed.
As a freshman at Radford in 2020-21, Porter appeared in 15 games and scored a season-high six points versus Mars Hill. After redshirting in his first season at Cape Fear CC, he recorded 14.1 points and 5.0 rebounds as a sophomore before continuing his career at NC Central.
Porter is a native of Pinetops, N.C.
Trailblazer Track and Field continues to battle tough conditions and tough competition
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams were back at it again this weekend as the Trailblazers headed to Louisville for the Clark Wood Invitational hosted by the University of Louisville.
VU took part in the two-day invitational, battling through rain Friday before coming away with a good day on the track Saturday to close out the weekend.
The Vincennes men’s team sprinters were led by sophomore Zion Pruitt (Avon, Ind.) who came away with a 25th place finish in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 56.49 seconds.
Freshman ArTezz Butler-Sanders (Indianapolis, Ind.) placed 50th in the 400 meters at 50.92 seconds, while freshmen Karmiel Williams (Jasper, Ind.) and Aaden Mapp (Indianapolis, Ind.) ran the 100 meter sprint with Williams posting a time of 11.12 seconds and Mapp finishing in 11.88 seconds.
Freshman Devin Wilson (Indianapolis, Ind.) placed 64th in the 200 meters with a time of 22.89 seconds as well.
The mid-distance and distance runners for the men’s team were led by freshman Anis Abdaoui (Kairouan, Tunisia) who placed fifth in the 1500 meters at 3:52.39.
Sophomore Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) joined Abdaoui in the 1500, finishing with a time of 4:04.22 to take 32nd overall.
Spence would also pace the Trailblazers in the 800 meters, finishing with a time of 2:00.23 to take 55th overall.
Sophomore Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) took 61st in the 800 meters at 2:03.09, with freshman Dakoda Greci (Danville, Ind.) posting a time of 2:05.37 to take 65th overall.
Caden Hostetler placed 27th overall in the 3000 meter steeplechase at 10:46.06.
Sophomore Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) paced a team of Trailblazers in the 5000 meters, leading the way with a time of 15:30.09 to take 40th overall.
Sophomore Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) and freshmen Lane Connaway (Carmi, Ill.) and Jeremy Mendez (Velpen, Ind.) followed Noel in the 5000 meters, with Whitehead taking 61st with a time of 15:56.63, Connaway posting a time of 16:21.06 and Mendez finishing with a time of 16:28.57.
The VU Men’s track side was rounded out by the 4×400 relay team finishing seventh with a time of 3:16.32 and the men’s 4×100 relay team finishing at 44.98 seconds to take 14th overall.
The highlight of the weekend for the Trailblazer men’s team was the field events led by freshman Tremayne Brown (Anderson, Ind.) who finished sixth in the high jump after clearing a height of 2.00 meters.
Sophomore Maliek Bush (Jeffersonville, Ind.) came away with seventh place in the discus with a throw of 28.56 meters, ninth in the javelin with a best throw of 48.78 meters and 13th in the long jump with a distance of 6.94 meters.
Freshman Bryce Peak (Brownstown, Ind.) joined Bush in the javelin, getting a best throw of 37.20 meters to take 19th overall, while freshman Cayden Gasser (Delphi, Ind.) rounded out the men’s results on the weekend by taking 21st in the javelin with a throw of 34.14 meters and 21st in the shot put with a throw of 11.25 meters.
The VU women’s track team was led on the weekend by sophomore Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) who placed 18th in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a final time of 12:09.01.
Late rallies give Trailblazers series win over Spoon River College
VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team closed out a strong week of action at Jerry Blemker Field Sunday afternoon with the Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) series finale doubleheader against Spoon River College.
The Trailblazers used a pair of late rallies to come away with the doubleheader sweep to pick up the series win over the Snappers winning game one 10-5 and taking game two of the day 13-9.
Vincennes got off to a slow start in game one of the day with Spoon River grabbing the early lead with a run in the first.
VU would get on the board in the bottom of the third after a leadoff double by sophomore Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.), followed by a walk by freshman Jevan Andrews (Hobart, Ind.) and an RBI single by sophomore Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.).
The Trailblazers would grab their first lead of the day with an RBI double by freshman Carter Gricius (Scottsburg, Ind.) before Nate Montgomery scored on a balk to give the Blazers a 3-1 lead.
Spoon River would get a run back in the fifth to cut the deficit in half at 3-2, which the Trailblazers responded immediately with a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth.
VU got the inning going with a single by sophomore Yancey Edlin (Pekin, Ind.) and an RBI single by sophomore Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.).
Spoon River answer back again in the sixth with a pair of runs to even the score at 4-4.
The Trailblazers came firing back in the bottom of the sixth with a monster six-run inning to completely shift the momentum of the game.
VU opened the inning with back-to-back walks by sophomore Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) and Jevan Andrews and Nate Montgomery being hit by pitch to load the bases.
The Trailblazers regained the lead with a big two RBI double by Carter Gricius, his second double of the game and third RBI of the game.
VU kept the inning going with a two RBI single by Yancey Edlin, his third time reaching base in the game.
Vincennes would close out the inning with back to back RBI singles by Corbin Napier and Bryce Gross to give the Blazers a commanding 10-4 lead heading to the seventh inning.
In the seventh Spoon River looked to get a rally going of their own but were only able to get one run in the inning as VU closed out the victory, taking game one of the day 10-5.
Sophomore JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) got the start in game one of the day, throwing four and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs, one earned on six hits and striking out one in the game.
Bowser then turned the game over to freshman Ty Stultz (Terre Haute, Ind.) who closed out the final two and one-third innings, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out three.
“I think Bowser gave us a good opportunity to win the game,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “We didn’t make some plays defensively behind him and then Ty Stultz came in and did a really nice job.”
“Then we came through in the sixth inning,” Barney added. “Sent 10 guys to the plate, three walks and four hits later we put up six runs to go ahead. The guys stepped up late.”
The Trailblazers looked to keep the momentum going and close out the weekend strong in game two and wasted little time getting going at the plate.
VU opened the game with three runs in the first inning, started by freshman Evan Doran (Indianapolis, Ind.) reaching on an error, followed by a fielder’s choice by Carter Gricius and a walk by Yancey Edlin to load the bases.
Corbin Napier prompted cleared the bases with a big two-out three-RBI double to give the Blazers an early 3-0 lead.
Spoon River responded back in the second inning with a big six run inning of their own to take a 6-3 lead over the Blazers.
Vincennes answered back in the third after Carter Gricius was hit by pitch to lead off the inning, followed by walks for Yancey Edlin and sophomore Noble Johnson (Terre Haute, Ind.).
Sophomore Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.) kept the inning going with a two-RBI double and an RBI single by Bryce Gross evened the score at 6-6.
Spoon River regained the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth and a run in fifth to take a 9-6 lead.
VU started the comeback in the sixth after Nate Montgomery reached with a double and later scored on a fielder’s choice by Yancey Edlin to cut the deficit to two.
Vincennes completed the comeback in the eighth after getting a monster start to the inning with a leadoff triple by Corbin Napier, followed by a walk by Noble Johnson and a successful double steal to score Napier.
The Blazers would tie the game with an RBI single by Brody Fessel, giving him three RBIs in the game and reaching base four times on the day.
USI falls in rubber game, drops series
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost the rubber game and the series to Eastern Illinois University, 9-8, Sunday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 20-23 overall and 9-8 in the OVC, while EIU is 22-18, 10-6 OVC.
The Screaming Eagles flew out in front, 3-0, during the first inning when sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd hit a three-run blast to right center. The home run was Boyd’s fifth of the season and his third of the week.
Boyd had an outstanding week for the Eagles. The sophomore batted .583 (14-24) with eight runs scored, three home runs, and 12 RBIs in five games.
USI would hold the 3-0 lead into the second when EIU put its first tally on the board and cut the margin to 3-1. The Panthers would rally with two more in the third to knot the game at 3-3.
The score remained 3-3 until the top of the fifth, when the Panthers scored three times to lead 6-3. EIU extended the margin to 9-3 with three more in the top of the sixth.
USI would bounce back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 9-5. USI junior shortstop Clayton Slack plated a pair of runs with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.
Following a scoreless seventh, USI sophomore pinch hitter/rightfielder Evan Zapp cut the deficit to two, 9-7, in the eighth with a two-run, two-out double to left field. Sophomore third baseman Parker Martinwould leave the tying runs at second and third to end the eighth.
USI would try to rally in its final try at the plate in the ninth. Junior designated hitter Charlie Mariscadrove in USI’s eighth run of the game with a single, but the Eagles would stand the tying and winning runs on base in falling, 9-8.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Abdriel Figueroa took the loss in relief. Figerora (0-1) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out two in three frames of work.
Junior right-hander Andres Gonzalez started and lasted the first two-plus innings. He allowed three runs on three hits and a pair of walks.
USI splits Sunday doubleheader at SEMO
Eagles clinch OVC tournament berth on Sunday
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Softball opened its Sunday doubleheader at Southeast Missouri State University with a 4-3 victory, but the Redhawks secured a 10-0 win in five innings in the afternoon’s second game to claim the weekend series.
In Sunday’s first game, Southern Indiana (14-23, 11-11 OVC) did not take long to get on the scoreboard. Three singles loaded the bases before freshman third baseman Jordan Mackey cleared the bags with a double into the gap to give the Screaming Eagles a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Southeast Missouri (23-15, 16-7 OVC) answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning, but USI responded with another tally in the top of the third inning. With two outs, freshman Jinnis Gerth singled up the middle to score sophomore infielder Sydney Long and put USI up by two, 4-2.
From that point, it was freshman pitcher Kylie Witthaus who took control. Despite SEMO scoring a run to make it a one-run game in the bottom of the fifth, Witthaus remained unfazed and gave USI another strong outing to pick up a win in the middle game of the series and force a series rubber match.
Witthaus (6-7) added to her streak of consecutive quality starts for the Eagles, striking out a pair and allowing three runs in the win.
Mackey paced USI with three RBIs, while junior outfielder Caroline Stapleton led the team with two hits in the game. Long had a hit and scored two runs in the contest. USI totaled seven hits.
For SEMO, sophomore Maddie Carney (2-5) was dealt the loss after surrendering four runs – three earned – in five innings of work.
The second game and series finale on Sunday went scoreless after one frame, but Southeast Missouri scored six unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning to jump ahead 6-0. The Redhawks went on to score four total runs between the third and fourth innings to climb up to a 10-0 lead.
Despite a few scattered hits for the Screaming Eagles, USI could not string together momentum to chip away before the final out in the fifth inning.
Stapleton went 3-3 in the batter’s box for USI. Sophomores Shelby Stivers and Angelia Davis accounted for the other two hits for the Eagles.
Senior pitcher Josie Newman (8-15) was given the loss, being charged with the first six unearned runs in 1.2 innings.
UE baseball outlasts Missouri State in Sunday afternoon slugfest
The Purple Aces came out victorious in a 27-run total game between the two teams
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – It was an eventful final conference game at Hammons Field for the University of Evansville baseball team as they picked up a 16-11 win over the Missouri State Bears.
The Purple Aces took an early lead at Hammons Field and were able to fight off Missouri State three separate times to get a 16-11 win to end the weekend. UE’s offense had a season-high 17 hits in the nine-inning slugfest on Saturday. Three separate batters led the way with three runs each in left field, Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS), first baseman Jake McGhee (Fenton, Mo. / Christian Brothers Academy,) and right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC).
“It was a great team win today!” said Head Coach Wes Carroll after the game. “Our offense showed fight throughout and never gave up. We pieced it together on the mound as well to get the victory. I’m proud of the overall effort we had today against their special offense.”
The Aces got off to a fast start on Sunday afternoon as center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) led off the game with a solo home run past center. UE tacked on two more runs to take a 3-0 lead after an inning and a half with three hits, a fielder’s choice, and a walk in the top of the second. But Missouri State brought the game back within a run in the bottom of the second on a two-run homer from right fielder Zack Stewart.
Evansville had one of only three blank frames on offense in the top of the third. The Bears tied the game up for the first time in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly, but the Aces were able to answer back in the fourth. Taubert led off the inning with a hit by pitch and scored four at-bats later when Longmeier had his first hit of the game with a single through the right side. Longmeier’s single also scored Rumsey, who reached first in the at-bat prior on a fielding error for a 5-3 UE lead.
Missouri State responded with back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom frame of the fourth to tie the game at five runs apiece. Evansville’s offense went down in order in both the fifth and the sixth innings while the Bears took their only lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth. Two hits, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly scored two runs for Missouri State to put the Aces down by a pair of runs going into the final third of the game.
UE’s offense exploded in the final three innings, scoring 11 runs to take the game. Evansville’s offensive run began in the seventh with five straight hits after two flyouts. A double from pinch hitter Evan Waggoner (Bedford, Ind. / Bedford North Lawrence HS) scored the first of four runs in the seventh for the Aces. UE scored on the next two at-bats to retake the lead by two runs.
Evansville’s defense took down the Bears quickly in the bottom frame before adding two more runs in the top of the eighth. Longmeier added his fifth home run of the season and second of the weekend to lead off the inning. The Aces’ next run came four at-bats later as infielder Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) came home on a failed pickoff attempt for an 11-7 game.
But for the third time on Sunday, Missouri State tied the game back up with a four-run inning. The Bears hit their fourth home run of the day to bring the game back within two runs and then added two more with four straight hits. UE’s defense was able to get out of the inning with a double play, but again needed its offense to deliver for a win.
And Evansville’s offense did just that as 10 batters went to the plate in the top of the ninth. With two walks, three hits, and a hit-by-pitch, the Aces added another five runs. A double from McGinnis began the scoring as UE loaded the bases on its next two at-bats. A pitch hit Waggoner to bring in a run while Taubert’s third hit of the afternoon scored two more runners.
Missouri State tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth with two singles to begin the frame. But the Evansville defense came through again with two putouts and a strikeout from closer Drew Fieger (Fort Mitchell, Ky. / Lincoln Trail CC) to seal the win. The Aces avoided a sweep in Springfield to win their final MVC game at Hammons Field.
UE returns to German American Bank Field on Tuesday evening. Evansville will complete the home portion of its home-and-home series with the Indiana Hoosiers on April 29. First pitch from Charles H. Braun Stadium on Tuesday night is set for 5 p.m.
Investigation Underway After Device Thrown Through Victim’s Window
Officers were dispatched to 2400 block of N Fares Ave in reference to a Criminal Mischief report. The victim stated someone had broken out the windows to their house. The victim was not able to provide suspect information, but said a black SUV was possibly involved. The victim believed there was a bomb thrown through their window.
Officers arrived on scene and observed multiple broken windows. Officers also found burnt paper and a white powder residue on the porch. Surveillance footage showed a dark colored SUV drive around the block once before stopping in front of 2417 N Fares Ave. Someone inside the SUV appears to light a firework and shoot it at the home. This video, combined with physical evidence, lead officers to believe the object thrown was actually fireworks. The SUV then fled the scene before officers arrived
No one was injured in this incident. If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the EPD Adult Investigation Unit at 812-436-7979.