In a full day on the field Saturday, the University of Evansville softball team began the day with a 2-0 win at Valparaiso before the Crusaders finished the day with a 6-2 victory over the Purple Aces.

“It is good to get a split on the day, we gave ourselves a chance to get the series win today,” UE head coach Mat Mundell said.  “Morgan threw outstanding in game one and we were able to get more hits in game two, we just have to find a way to score more runs off of them.”

Morgan Florey and Lindsay Renneisen were the stars in game one as the Purple Aces pulled off a 2-0 victory.  Eryn Gould led the game off with a single down the left field line.  Following a sacrifice bunt by Mea Adams, Lindsay Renneisen approached the plate and delivered her 6^th home run of the season to give UE a 2-0 lead.

Pitching was the name of the game from that point on as neither team would see a runner advance to second base until Evansville did so in the top of the 7^th.  UE left two runners on to end the frame as the Crusaders were down to their final three outs.  They made a late run, putting runners on first and second with one out.  Florey got the job done from there, notching the final two outs to preserve her 2-hit shutout.  She struck out 11 batters in the complete game win.

After being held off the board in game one, Valparaiso recorded the first four runs of the second tilt.  A Gabby Magnifico single got them on the board in the second before three more scored in the third.  Brittany Anderson had a 2-RBI double in the frame.

Evansville saw its first three runners reach base in the top of the fourth.  With one out, McKenzie Johnson forced a bases loaded walk to plate UE’s first run of the game.  Valpo countered with a pair in the fifth to push their advantage to five runs, but the Aces had one more run left in them.  Brittany Hay led the 7^th inning off with a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Florey single to left.

That is where the rally would end as the Crusaders split the doubleheader with a 6-2 win.  Florey notched three hits in the game while Mea Adams posted two.  Tomorrow, the teams take to the field for the rubber match at 11 a.m.

University of Southern Indiana Softball salvaged a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader split with host Missouri University of Science & Technology Saturday afternoon. The Screaming Eagles lost the opener, 5-2, before winning game two, 3-1.

Senior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) and sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) each had three hits on the day to pace the Eagles at the plate, while Leonhardt earned the win inside the circle in game two.

USI (25-20, 13-11 GLVC) returns to action April 28 at noon when it hosts the University of Missouri-St. Louis in a GLVC doubleheader at the USI Softball Field. The Eagles conclude the regular season April 29 when they host McKendree University for Senior Day.

Game 1: S&T 5, USI 2 (Box Score)
Despite getting RBIs from junior catcher Lindsey Barr (Whitesville, Kentucky) and junior outfielder Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) in the top of the sixth inning, the Eagles could not overcome a 5-0 deficit as they suffered their third straight loss.

Missouri S&T (23-21, 12-10 GLVC) scored in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead; then scored twice in both the third and fifth frames to build the 5-0 advantage.

The Eagles answered with two tallies in the sixth and brought the tying run to the plate in the form of sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky), their home run and RBI-leader, in the seventh. Schubert, however, hit a fly ball that was caught at the warning track for the last out of the contest.

Junior pitcher Courtney Atkisson (Bringhurst, Indiana) was charged with the loss. Atkisson (7-5) gave up five runs, four earned, off eight hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings of work.

Game 2: USI 3, S&T 1 (Box Score)
Fulton had an RBI-single in the first and a two-run double in the third as the Eagles jumped out to a 3-1 lead.

Missouri S&T took advantage of a passed ball and a wild pitch to score in the bottom of the first inning, but that was all the offense the Miners could put together as Leonhardt (13-10), who helped herself at the plate with a 2-of-4 effort, allowed just one unearned run off three hits and six strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

The Miners threatened in the sixth inning with a two-out walk and a two-out single, but Leonhardt induced a fly ball for the third out to get out of the inning unscathed. She used a game-ending double-play ball in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the win.