University of Southern Indiana Softball scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two to salvage a Midwest Region doubleheader split with visiting Kentucky Wesleyan College Tuesday night at the USI Softball Field.

Senior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) led the Eagles at the plate, going a combined 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.

The Screaming Eagles (24-17) return to action Saturday at noon when they travel to Rolla, Missouri, to take on Missouri University of Science & Technology in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader.

Game 1: KWC 4, USI 3 (Box Score)
Kentucky Wesleyan (19-20) scored four unanswered runs to earn the 4-3 victory and snap the Eagles’ six-game winning streak.

The Eagles capitalized on an error in the bottom of the first inning to score a pair runs and take a 2-0 lead. Fulton and junior outfielder Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) each had RBI-singles for the Eagles.

Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) had an RBI-double in the third inning to put the Eagles up 3-0; but the Panthers capitalized on a pair of walks and an error to score a pair of runs in the fourth inning.

Kentucky Wesleyan used a pinch-hit, solo home run off the bat of junior Jaclyn Parker to tie the score in the sixth; while sophomore second baseman Lexi Mullen hit a solo home run in the seventh to put the Panthers up, 4-3.

Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) was charged with the loss after giving up two runs off two hits. Leonhardt (12-9) racked up seven strikeouts and just one walk in three innings of relief work.

Game 2: USI 2, KWC 1 (Box Score)
Junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning to push across the winning run after USI scored the tying run on a fielding error in the previous at-bat.

USI trailed 1-0 heading into the seventh inning after the Panthers scored in the top of the sixth inning on a passed ball. Schubert drew a walk to lead-off the inning, while Fulton had a bunt single to put runners at first and second with no outs.

Sophomore shortstop Taylor Ricketts (Georgetown, Kentucky) drew a one-out walk two batters later to load the bases. After a fly ball out failed to push across the tying run; senior outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) hit a ball to the shortstop that was mishandled, allowing the tying run to cross the plate.

The first three pitches to Johnson missed the strike zone and, following a strike, Johnson held up on a close pitch that missed the zone for ball four and the walk-off walk.

Junior pitcher Haylee Smith (Florence, Kentucky) earned the win after getting the Eagles out of a jam in the sixth inning. Smith (4-3) spelled Leonhardt, who gave up one run off four hits in five-plus innings of work, with runners at first and second and no outs in a one-run game in the sixth. She recorded outs against six of the eight batters she faced, allowing just two hits and fanning two batters.

Behind strong pitching, the University of Evansville baseball team kept things tight with tenth ranked Vanderbilt, however, the Purple Aces couldn’t catch the Commodores on the scoreboard, falling in Nashville, Tennessee, 6-1, Tuesday night.

Junior starting pitcher Austin Allinger looked sharp in pitching the opening of the frames, allowing just one hit while tossing a pair of scoreless innings.

Allinger would give way to freshman reliever Austin Ruesch, who got a pair of quick outs to open the third inning. However, the third out of the frame proved to be tougher to get. After giving up a two out double to Connor Kaiser, Ruesch got tagged on a two-strike pitch by Vandy’s leading home run hitter, Ethan Paul, giving the Commodores an early 2-0 lead. That would be Ruesch’s lone mistake, as he kept Vanderbilt off the scoreboard for the next two innings.

Sophomore reliever Nathan Croner would take over for Ruesch in the sixth, and would get into hot water immediately, hitting the leadoff batter, then walking another, putting a pair aboard with nobody out. Croner would bounce back to get the next two outs, and appeared to be on his way to getting out of the jam. Then, Jayson Gonzalez snuck a single through the left side of the infield, tallying a pair of insurance runs, putting UE in a 4-0 hole.

Meanwhile, the Aces bats struggled to break through in the runs column. That is until the seventh inning. It began with sophomore outfielder Troy Beilsmith drawing a leadoff walk. Next, senior first baseman Dalton Horstmeier singled to right-center, sending Beilsmith to third. Then, senior designated hitter Travis Tokarek, playing in his first game in a month due to injury, drove in Beilsmith with a ground out to first base, putting the Aces on the scoreboard.

However, Evansville would draw no closer and the Commodores would add to their pad in eighth with Ethan Paul’s second round tripper of the game. Vanderbilt would tack on another in the frame,  going onto take a 6-1 decision.

The loss drops the Aces to 6-24, while Vandy improves to 23-14. The University of Evansville baseball team is back in action Friday night at home against the newest member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Valparaiso. First pitch for game one of the series is set for 6 p.m. at Charles H. Braun Stadium.

The University of Southern Indiana baseball team dominated the first meeting of the year with Kentucky Wesleyan College, 10-2, Tuesday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI watched its record go to 19-16 overall, while KWC goes to 18-19.

The Screaming Eagles opened the scoring with a tally in the first on an RBI-single by senior rightfielder Buddy Johnson (Shelbyville, Kentucky) and one the third on an RBI-ground out by junior designated hitter Brodie Brown(Carmi, Illinois) to make the score, 2-0.

After the Panthers evened the score, 2-2, in the top of the fourth, USI bounced back with two in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead for good. Senior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) gave the Eagles the 4-2 advantage with a two-run double to center field.

USI sealed the victory with a six-run seventh to run the margin to 10-2. McNamara ignited the offensive explosion by leading off the frame with his team-best seventh home run of the year, a towering shot to left field. Senior third baseman Sam Griggs (Evansville, Indiana) also had a two-single to help lead the six-run eruption.

Overall for the game, McNamara and Griggs finished the game with a team-high three and two RBIs, respecitively, while senior first baseman Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) had a team-best three hits with two runs scored.

USI senior right-hander Nick Coudret (Newburgh, Indiana) posted his second win of the year in dominate fashion. Coudret (2-2) threw seven strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out a career-high seven batters.

Sophomore right-hander Jacob Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) and junior right-hander Dalton Lewis(Parker, Colorado) finished the game for the Eagles with scoreless eighth and ninth innings.

The Eagles continue the four-game homestand Friday when fourth-ranked University of Tampa (31-5) comes to the USI Baseball Field for a three-game set. First pitch for the series is set for 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon Sunday.

USI trails the all-time series with fourth-ranked Tampa, 6-3, after the Spartans took two of three from the Eagles to start the 2017 campaign. The Eagles are 2-5 against the Spartans during the regular season meetings and 1-1 during the two match-ups in the NCAA II National Championship Series. USI infielder Joe Redburn led the Eagle hitters in last year’s three-game series at Tampa with a .500 average (four-of-eight) and tied for a team-high with four RBIs and junior right-hander Austin Krizan (Mt. V