Aces look to win finale on Sunday

Saturday marked the beginning of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule for the University of Evansville softball team as the Purple Aces dropped a pair of home contests to Drake at Cooper Stadium.

Game one went to the Bulldogs (18-9, 2-0 MVC) by a 3-0 final before they picked up a 6-3 win over Evansville (7-17, 0-2 MVC) in game two.

Bulldog starter Nicole Newman was dominant, giving up two hits while striking out eight in the complete game shutout to open the day.  Morgan Florey was also strong, giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits.  She struck out eight and walked seven.

In the top half of the second, Taryn Pena delivered the first run of the game on a double to left.  The Bulldogs also scored a run on a bases loaded walk to take a 2-0 lead.  Brittany Hay recorded the first hit of the day for the Purple Aces, hitting a leadoff double, but could not make it past second base.  Florey notched the Aces’ other single in the seventh, but Drake was able to finish with the 3-0 victory.

Drake looked to be primed for a big inning to start game two as they loaded up the bases with no outs.  UE record the first out when Elyse Hickey threw a runner out at home before the next batter fouled out.  Just when it looked like the Aces would get out of the inning unscathed, Sarah Maddox singled to right to plate the first two runs.

After being held scoreless in game one, the Aces rebounded to with two runs in their half of the first.  Eryn Gould led off with a single before Elyse Hickey reached on a walk.  Next up was Morgan Florey, who delivered a single to left to score Gould.  Hickey would also score on a Bulldog error to tie it up.  Drake would retake the lead with an unearned run in the second.

Between the third and fifth innings, the Bulldogs threatened, leaving seven runners on base, but Ashleigh Downing was able to keep them off the board.  Her work was pivotal as UE had a chance to tie it up in the fifth.  Lindsay Renneisen reached on a double and attempt to score on a 2-out single by Downing.  A great throw from left field saw her get tagged out at the plate as DU protected its 3-2 lead.

The top of the seventh saw the Bulldogs put the icing on the cake with three more runs.  UE looked to rally with a run in the seventh on a Downing RBI single, but Drake finished the 6-3 win.  Tomorrow, the teams will play the series finale at 11 a.m. inside Cooper Stadium.

The University of Southern Indiana baseball team scored a dozen runs on a dozen hits to defeat the 23^rd-ranked Quincy University, 12-6, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI watches its record go to 7-8 overall, while Quincy goes to 10-6 in 2018.

The Screaming Eagles exploded for seven runs in the first three frames to lead 7-1. USI posted one in the first, three in the second, and three in the third for the six-run advantage.

The three-run second inning was highlighted by the two-run bomb by senior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana). The home run was McNamara’s and the Eagles’ first of the season.

After the Hawks closed the gap to 7-6 with three in the fourth and two in the sixth, the Eagles responded with a five-run surge in the bottom of the sixth. Senior first baseman Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) capped off the five-run outburst with a two-run triple for the 11^th and 12^th USI tallies of the game.

Overall at the plate, Gobert had a team-high three hits and freshman centerfielder Bryce Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) drove in a team-best three RBIs. Gobert, McNamara, junior second baseman Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana), and junior designated hitter Jayden Beshears (Evansville, Indiana) followed Krizan with two RBIs each.

On the mound, USI senior right-hander Kyle Griffin (Morganfield, Kentucky) picked up the win for the Eagles after going five-plus innings. Griffin (2-1) allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits and four walks, while striking out nine Quincy batters.

Eagles’ sophomore right-hander Jacob Bowles (Mt. Washington, Kentucky) entered the game in the sixth and shutdown the Hawks over four innings for his first-career save. Bowles scattered three hits and a walk, while striking out one in his longest outing of the season.

The Eagles and the Hawks conclude the three-game series at noon Sunday with a single game at the USI Baseball Field.

University of Southern Indiana Softball rode a masterful pitching performance and some clutch hitting to earn a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader sweep of visiting Bellarmine University Saturday afternoon at the USI Softball Field.

The Screaming Eagles (14-9, 3-1 GLVC) edged the Knights, 1-0, in the opener before claiming a 7-6 victory in the nightcap.

USI returns to action March 24 when it travels to Somers, Wisconsin, to take on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in a GLVC doubleheader.

Game 1: USI 1, Bellarmine 0 (Box Score)
Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) fanned nine batters and allowed just two hits as she earned her second consecutive complete-game shutout.

Leonhardt (6-5) was aided by freshman first baseman Haley Shouse (Borden, Indiana), who had a two-out, RBI-double in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Eagles the 1-0 advantage.

It marked the second straight game that Leonhardt, who issued just two walks, did not allow a player past second base.

Bellarmine sophomore pitcher Sabrina Fussenegger (4-5) allowed just three hits, two of which came in the fifth inning.

Game 2: USI 7, Bellarmine 6 (Box Score)
USI scored five times in the bottom of the second inning to take a commanding 5-0 lead over the Knights. Shouse, who went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, opened the scoring with a two-run double.

The Eagles had four hits in the inning and took advantage of three Bellarmine errors to grab the big lead. Leonhardt and junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Kentucky) each had RBIs in the frame.

Bellarmine (10-12, 1-3 GLVC), however, rallied with two runs in the third inning and four in the fourth to take a 6-5 advantage. The Knights capitalized on a lead-off double and a pair of walks to plate the runs in the third inning before scoring all four runs with two outs in the fourth.

Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) energized the Eagles with a solo home run to tie the score at six in the bottom of the fourth; while a two-out double by Johnson in the fifth put USI up 7-6.

USI also got strong offensive efforts from junior catcher Lindsey Barr (Whitesville, Kentucky) and sophomore shortstop Taylor Ricketts (Georgetown, Kentucky). Barr was 3-of-4 with a run scored, while Ricketts was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Ricketts’ hit in the fifth inning led to the game-winning tally.

Junior pitcher Courtney Atkisson (Bringhurst, Indiana) earned the win to improve to 5-2 on the year after giving up just one hit and two walks in 3 1/3 innings of relief work.

The University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis team took a short spring trip south to Tennessee over the weekend dropping two matches, 5-4 in both to Lee University and Tennessee Wesleyan University.

USI vs. LEE

The Eagles (4-9) secured two doubles victories against the Flames in Cleveland first with the duo of freshman Alexander Lawrenz (Hamburg, Germany) and junior Ilia Karelin (Ekaterinburg, Russia) winning 8-3 at number two doubles. The second win came at the number three slot with freshman Spencer Blandford (Louisville, Kentucky) and freshman Martim Café (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) with a 9-8 (7-1) final.

Lawrenz then picked up another win at number two singles, sweeping his opponent 6-4, 6-4. Blandford then followed immediately after at the number five spot with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) tally.

USI vs. TENNESSEE WESLEYAN

USI swept the doubles competition 3-0 against the Bulldogs on day two in Athens. Karelin and Lawrenze kicked things off with a 8-0 win followed by junior Andrew Dones (Georgetown, Indiana) and senior Samuel Kiladejo (London, England) getting their first win at the number one spot 8-5. The final USI doubles victory came with Blandford and Café defeating their opponent 8-5.

The Eagles then dropped five singles competition matches to the Bulldogs with the exception of Dones who won at the number six position 7-6, 7-6 to end the Eagles’ weekend.

The University of Missouri-St Louis is who the Eagles will play next on Tuesday, March 20 at 2 p.m. in St Louis, Missouri.