Craig Shepherd sent the fourth pitch of the game over the wall in left field, and it proved a harbinger of good things for the Aces offense as the University of Evansville baseball team touched home 20 times over the course of a doubleheader sweep of Illinois State at Duffy Bass Field.

The two victories gave the Aces their second series win of the season, and their first in Missouri Valley Conference. UE moved to 12-22 on the year, which includes a 3-5 mark in league play. Meanwhile, ISU dropped to 10-23 and 0-5, respectively.

Despite the run support, Saturday’s opener was decided in extra innings after the Aces leveled the game with a ninth inning score. Perhaps that was to be expected in this series as three of the four meetings between UE and ISU a year ago were resolved in extras.

After each team scored five runs in the opening stanza, the Aces took the lead for the second time in the fourth. A failed pickoff from ISU starter Jeffrey Barton allowed Nate Reeder to move from first to third base, and he’d score moments later on a Craig Shepherd sacrifice fly. The lead would prove short-lived, however, as a Bryce Grimm double leveled things once again an inning later.

Shepherd finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs batted in, and the Redbirds were led by the duo of Zach Barnhart and Derek Parola, which combined to go 6-for-10 at the plate with four scores and three RBI. Grimm was 2-for-5.

 

Lewis 7, Southern Indiana 2
Apr 15, 2017 at Evansville, Indiana (USI Tennis Courts)

 

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball held on for a 2-1 game-two victory to earn a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader sweep of visiting Lewis University Saturday afternoon at the USI Softball Field. The No. 8 Screaming Eagles won game one, 4-1.

USI (38-8, 17-5 GLVC) returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Quincy University in a GLVC doubleheader at the USI Softball Field. Saturday’s games are Awareness Day for USI, while the Eagles’ final home games of the regular season against Truman State University April 23 represent Senior Day.

Game 1 | Southern Indiana 4, Lewis 1

–Box Score

The Eagles erupted for three runs off five hits in the bottom of the fourth inning to overcome a 1-0 deficit. Junior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) had an RBI-single to tie the contest, while freshman outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) had a two-run single to give USI a 3-1 advantage.

Fulton, who was 2-of-3 with a pair of RBIs, had a run-scoring triple in the fifth frame to give freshman pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) a three-run cushion.

Leonhardt (22-1) allowed just one run off five hits in seven innings of work to earn her 19^th straight win and GLVC-best 22^nd victory of the year. She had three strike outs and just one walk.

Lewis (22-21, 10-12 GLVC) opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with a solo home run off the bat of third baseman Kendyl Strack.

Game 2 | Southern Indiana 2, Lewis 1

–Box Score

USI got a two-out, RBI-single off the bat of senior catcher Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) in the last half of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Junior first basemanMarleah Fossett (Brownsburg, Indiana) gave the Eagles a two-run cushion in the fifth inning with a two-out, RBI-double down the leftfield line.

The Flyers capitalized on a pair of USI errors in the seventh inning as they cut USI’s advantage in half. Clinging to a 2-1 lead and with runners at first and second and one out, sophomore pitcher Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) induced a ground ball and a fly out in back-to-back at-bats to get out of the jam and preserve the Eagles’ one-run victory.

Bradley (6-2) earned the win for USI after giving up just one unearned run off four hits in seven innings of work. She had four strike outs and just one walk.

Southern Indiana 4, Lewis 1 (Apr 15, 2017 at Evansville, IN) (Game 1)

———————————————————————-

Lewis…………… 001 000 0 -  1  5  1      (22-20, 10-11 GLVC)

Southern Indiana…. 000 310 X -  4  7  2      (37-8, 16-5 GLVC)

———————————————————————-

Pitchers: Lewis – Sanders, Dara; Boelte, Taylor(6) and DeMasi, Sarah. Southern Indiana –

Leonhardt, Jennifer and Hodges, Haley.

Win-Leonhardt, Jennifer(22-1)  Loss-Sanders, Dara(15-6)  T-1:35  A-111

HR LEWIS – Strack, Kendyl (2).

Weather: 70s, sunny

Game: 45-LEWIS

Southern Indiana 2, Lewis 1 (Apr 15, 2017 at Evansville, IN) (Game 2)

———————————————————————-

Lewis…………… 000 000 1 -  1  4  0      (22-21, 10-12 GLVC)

Southern Indiana…. 100 010 X -  2  7  2      (38-8, 17-5 GLVC)

———————————————————————-

Pitchers: Lewis – Sanders, Dara and DeMasi, Sarah. Southern Indiana – Bradley, Caitlyn and

Hodges, Haley.

Win-Bradley, Caitlyn(6-2)  Loss-Sanders, Dara(15-7)  T-1:33  A-111

Weather: 80s, sunny

Game: 46-LEWIS

Florey goes the distance while offense hits two homers

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In Saturday’s rubber match at Missouri State, the University of Evansville softball team was able to hang on for a 6-4 win to clinch the series against the Bears at Killian Stadium.

“This was a big road series win.  They are a really good team so for us to come here and get two out of three is a big deal,” Aces head coach Mat Mundell said.  “Hopefully we can carry this momentum into our homestand.”

Evansville (18-23, 9-6 MVC) earned its second MVC road series in a row with the win as the Aces recorded six runs on 11 hits.  Chandra Parr had three more hits in four at-bats while Hayli Scott, Brittany Hay and Ashlee Kawall notched two hits apiece.  Hay along with Tess Hupe each scored twice.

Following a scoreless first inning, Morgan Lambert got the Aces on the board in the second.  Her sixth long ball of the season led off the frame and gave UE a 1-0 lead.  The score remained that way until the top of the fourth.  That is when Brittany Hay homered to left center to extend the advantage to 3-0.

Missouri State (21-15, 9-6 MVC) scored their first run in the bottom of the frame as a Darian Frost single cut into their deficit but Evansville got the run right back in the sixth.  Ashlee Kawall hit a leadoff triple before scoring on a single by pinch hitter Bailee Bostic.

Hayli Scott added to the lead later in the inning as a 2-run double scored Hay and Tess Hupe to give UE its largest advantage of the day at 6-1.  The Bears were able to match UE’s 3-run top of the 6^th with three of their own in the bottom of the inning, making it a 6-4 game going to the seventh.

After the Aces left a runner stranded at third in the top half of the seventh, Missouri State looked to take advantage in their final at-bat.  MSU put runners on first and second with no outs before advancing to second and third one out later.  Morgan Florey was able to end the threat as UE clinched the series with a 6-4 win.

Florey went all seven innings allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits.  She struck out six.

Starting on Wednesday, the Aces are home for eight of their next nine games as they take on Southern Illinois in a doubleheader slated to begin at 3 p.m.  Next weekend, UE welcomes Indiana State to Cooper Stadium for a 3-game set.