Aces drop close 4-1 contest

NORMAL, Ill. – Lacy Smith and Jess Willsey recorded two hits apiece, but the Illinois State defense turned three doubles players on their way to a 4-1 win over the University of Evansville softball team on Sunday afternoon at Marian Kneer Stadium.

Jess Willsey picked up the first hit of the game in the top of the second with a double play later ending the threat.  Illinois State countered in the bottom of the frame with the first run of the game scoring on an RBI groundout.  Two sacrifice flies by ISU pushed the lead to 3-0 as the third inning came to a close.

Brooke Voss added a single in the top half of the fourth before the Redbirds plated the fourth run of the game on a single in the bottom of the inning.

With one out in the fifth, Lacy Smith hit a home run to left field to get Evansville on the board.  Zoe Frossard, who reached on a walk earlier in the game, added a hit as UE worked to get closer in the fifth.

Still trailing by a 4-1 score, UE made a late rally with Hannah Hood and Smith leading off with singles.  A double play got the Redbirds back on track and they recorded the final out to take the win.

The pitching staff for the Purple Aces had a solid day.  Sydney Weatherford, Mikayla Jolly and Megan Brenton tossed two innings apiece.  Weatherford allowed one run on two hits while Brenton threw a scoreless final two frames.  Paige McLeod allowed one run on eight hits in the complete game for ISU.

UE is set for the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, which opens on Wednesday in Normal, Ill.

MACOMB, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Softball showcased a 9-1 offensive surge in the series opener at Western Illinois University on Saturday before the Leathernecks answered with a 6-3 victory in the afternoon to force a doubleheader split.
 
In Saturday’s series-opening victory, Southern Indiana’s offense picked up where it left off from last Sunday’s win against Tennessee State, posting a season-high 12 hits for the second consecutive game.
 
Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) did not miss a beat from her six-RBI performance last Sunday. The USI backstop led off the top of the second inning on Saturday with a solo home run, her fifth of the season. Later in the second, junior outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) doubled USI’s lead to 2-0 with an RBI single the opposite way.
 
Western Illinois got a run back in the home half of the second inning, but the Screaming Eagles answered in the fourth inning and poured it on with seven runs. Nalley started the fourth-inning scoring with a solo shot for her first home run this season. An RBI knock and a bases-loaded walk pushed Southern Indiana’s advantage up to 5-1. Then USI tacked on to its lead with three straight RBI hits by freshman infielder Sydney Long (Haubstadt, Indiana), junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana), and freshman designated player Kate Satkoski (Lanesville, Indiana). Satkoski’s hit went for two RBIs and increased the score to a 9-1 USI lead.
 
Newman finished the game 1 win with a shutout fifth inning to pick up her 18^th win, striking out four and allowing one run in five innings. On the other side, Western Illinois freshman pitcher Lillie Wools dropped to 3-11 with the loss, tossing 3.1 innings.
 
In the afternoon cap, Western Illinois scored first with a run in the second inning and then added four runs across three hits in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead through three.
 
Southern Indiana got into the run column in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI hit up the middle by freshman third baseman Shelby Stivers (Louisville, Kentucky) to get within four of Western Illinois, 5-1.
 
The Leathernecks built a 6-1 lead heading into the seventh inning. The Screaming Eagles tried to string together a rally, scoring a pair of two-out runs on RBI hits by Kihega and Long, but Western Illinois halted the momentum to force a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon.
 
Western Illinois narrowly outhit Southern Indiana in the second contest, 9-8. Kihega and Long led USI with two hits and an RBI each.
 
In the pitching circle, WIU senior pitcher Emily Price moved to 9-18 this season, hurling a complete game toward the win. USI sophomore pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) was charged with the loss, going to 1-4 on the season, after 2.2 innings of work and allowing five runs – three earned – with a couple of strikeouts. Junior pitcher Whitley Hunter (Nashville, Illinois) went 3.1 innings in relief, giving up only one run with three strikeouts.
 
Following Saturday’s doubleheader, Southern Indiana moved to 21-20 overall and 15-11 in conference play. USI has already clinched its spot in next week’s Ohio Valley Conference tournament and will be a middle seed to start play on Wednesday. Western Illinois moved to 16-33 overall and 5-21 in the OVC through Saturday and was previously eliminated from postseason contention.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team closed out the home portion of their regular season at Jerry Blemker Field Saturday afternoon, dropping the first two games of their Mid-West Athletic Conference series to Parkland College 6-0 and 4-0.

Parkland broke open the scoring on the day in game one with a run in the second inning.

Vincennes managed to get a lead-off single by sophomore Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.) in the first and a one-out single by sophomore Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.) in the second but were unable to move those runners into scoring position.

VU looked to be in a good spot in the fourth after a lead-off double by sophomore Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.) but were unable to advance the runner past second base.

Parkland added on to their lead in the fifth to take a 2-0 lead over the Blazers, before VU again looked to be able to break onto the scoreboard with a leadoff single by sophomore Brandon Juarez (Evansville, Ind.) and a walk by sophomore Kade Hinton in the fifth but again came up empty.

Parkland would add some late insurance runs by plating four runs in the seventh before Vincennes had another good opportunity to cut into the deficit in the eighth.

VU loaded the bases with only one out after Blake Heyerly was hit by pitch, freshman Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.) got a single and Trevor Newman walked to load the bases.

The Trailblazers continued to have a tough time breaking onto the scoreboard, getting a runner in scoring position in five straight innings but ultimately coming up with a zero in the run column.

Parkland would close out the game to pick up the game one victory over the Trailblazers 6-0.

Freshman Carson Allen (Louisville, Ky.) got the start in game one and had to exit early after just three and two-thirds innings due to injury. Allen had only surrendered one run on one hit and struck out one before exiting in the fourth inning.

Allen handed the game over to sophomore Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) out of the bullpen and McCormick made an immediate impact, getting out of the fourth inning with just a single pitch.

McCormick would go on to throw three and one third innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out four.

Freshman Colton Okes (Evansville, Ind.) came in to pitch the final two innings for the Trailblazers, allowing just a single hit in two shutout innings of work.

“Our hitting still has to step up and we just didn’t get it done,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “Their pitching was really good and we couldn’t sustain anything against them offensively.”

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored six times in the eighth inning to defeat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 11-6, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles are 21-26 overall and 10-10 OVC, while Cougars go to 18-27-1, 10-10 OVC.
 
USI reaches the .500 mark at 10-10 in the OVC and moves to within two games of conference-leading Morehead State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, which are 12-8 in the league. The Eagles, who are tied for fifth in the OVC, also have won four of the last five games and five of the last seven.
 
USI struck for a run in the second to lead 1-0 when junior leftfielder Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri) scored on a RBI-single by junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa). SIUE rebounded to take the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third and the 2-1 lead.
 
Eagles’ senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) crossed the plate with the tying run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) after USI loaded the bases with three-straight walks. The Cougars clawed their way back into the lead in the top of the fourth, 3-2, and extended the margin, 4-2, with another single tally in the top of the fifth.
 
USI regained the upper hand in the bottom of the sixth when it plated a trio of runs for a 5-4 advantage. Junior second baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) knotted the score by lacing a two-triple down the left field line before crossing the plate with the lead run on a RBI-single by junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela).
 
After SIUE tied the game, 5-5, in the top of the eighth, USI exploded for six runs in the bottom half of the frame for the margin of victory. USI junior pinch runner Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky) crossed the plate to put the Eagles back into the lead for good when Van Grieken was credited with a sacrifice fly and reached on a dropped fly ball.
 
Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) drove in the eventual game-winning tally with a ground out to make the score, 7-5, while Ellis sealed the victory with a two-run single to put the Eagles up, 9-5. Niehaus and Thompson-Allen would knock in the final two runs in the inning to increase the advantage to 11-5.
 
SIUE loaded the bases in the ninth, but were only able to push one more run across before USI senior right-hander Carter Stamm (Jasper, Indiana) shut the door on the 11-6 win.
 
Tachioka had a pair of hits and increased his hitting streak to 10 games, while Thompson-Allen posted his team-best 21^st multi-hit game with a pair of singles.
 
On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana) picked up the win in relief. Morris (4-4) allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits, while striking out three in four innings.
 
Junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) started and got a no-decision. Seebold went the first four innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits and three walks.
 

VU Track and Field close out Outdoor regular season at Billy Hayes Invite

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Vincennes University Track and Field teams took their final tune up before the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Championships Friday evening, heading up to Bloomington to take part in the Billy Hayes Invitational hosted by Indiana University.

The Blazers again found themselves in a stacked field of NCAA Division I athletes and more than held their own.

The VU men’s team was led by the Trailblazer relay teams, winning the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:11.36 and taking second place in the 4×100 relay with a time of 40.67 seconds.

Freshman Malik Ferdinand led the charge in the individual finishers for the Blue and Gold Friday night, taking second place in the 400 meter dash with a final time of 48.36 seconds.

Freshman Brahym Sakka (Tunisia) led the men’s distance side after taking third place in the 3000 meter steeplechase, crossing the finish line with a time of 9:22.01.

Sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) placed 10th in the 1500 meters at 3:55.76 and freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) took 17th in the 3000 meters with a time of 9:09.72.

Freshman Zion Pruitt placed 19th in the 400 meter hurdles with a final time of 59.65 seconds.

The VU men’s team finishers were rounded out by sophomore Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and freshmen Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) and Bryaun Manuel (East St. Louis, Ill.) who all took part in the 800 meter race.

Gray led the trio of VU runners by taking 24th with a time of 1:58.37, while Spence ended at 1:59.71 for 27th and Manuel ended at 2:03.00 in 29th place.

“We had a good day at the IU meet,” VU Head Track and Field Coach Marty Rogier said. “We used this meet to try and hit a few more National Qualifiers and to tune up for the Championships in two weeks.”

“It was nice to finally get a chance to perform since the weather has been an issue at every one of our outdoor meets,” Rogier added. “I used the opportunity to stack our relays and try to hit some times. The guys came through breaking the program record in the 4×400 and tying the program record in the 4×100.”

“It was really impressive to see Cohen, Olamipo, Tumaini and Desroy move the stick so efficiently in the only time they have run the 4×100 relay,” Rogier said. “I knew we had the speed but I attribute their success to their ability to work together and execute their plan. It’s nice sometimes as a coach to just sit back and watch and enjoy the show.”

“I’m a big fan of the 4×400 and it will always be a goal to put a good group on the track,” Rogier added. “We just have not had a chance to turn it loose because of the weather. Friday was really the only chance to run it right and the guys got the job done.”

“Olamipo, Clinton, Tumaini and Desroy had to run it alone because they were 50 or so meters ahead most of the race,” Rogier said. “To run that time with no one to compete with makes me think we can drop it some more at the Championships. Both relays are ranked in the Top 10 Nationally, so I’m excited to see what they might do. Getting both of those records on the same day is quite a feat because those are some fast times.”

“In addition to the relay success, Malik, who has struggled all season with a wonky hamstring, put together a nice 400 to finish second,” Rogier added. “He will be an important part of what we are able to do at the National meet.”

“In the men’s 800, Matthew ran under two minutes and got a PR for the second week in a row,” VU Assistant Track and Field Coach and Distance Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “He’s got a lot left in him, so I’m excited to see what he can do at Nationals. Tanner also broke two minutes for the second week in a row, just off his PR.”

“Brahym ran his best steeplechase of the year with an 18 second improvement from two weeks ago,” Steigenga added. “We were trying to run a bit faster to improve his chances to get a spot in the fast heat at Nationals, but as of now he’s in. We’ll just have to see how things finish out this weekend.”

The VU women’s team was led by freshman and 2024 Indoor National Champion Sophia Amaral who placed sixth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.05 meters.

Sophomore Madison Davis pulled double duty Friday evening, taking 14th in the discus throw with a best throw of 38.07 meters and then taking 19th in the shot put with a throw of 11.66 meters.

Freshman Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) led the women’s track team with a 15th place finish in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:55.85.

Freshman Emilly Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) rounded out the VU day on the track by finishing the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.18 for 19th place overall.

“Sophia added to her top ranking by clearing 4.05 and finishing sixth in a really good pole vault competition,” Rogier said. “There were some elite jumpers competing. It’s hard to not be satisfied but I really believe she has bigger bars if she will just let it happen and not overthink things.”

“Madison had a big personal best in the discus,” Rogier added. “It was good to see it come together for her in a big meet. She struggled a little with the shot put. She got a little nervous with the competition she was facing.”

“Adi had a great race in the 1500 to get her second National Qualifier and also moved to No. 7 on the VU All-Time list,” Steigenga said. “This meet can be a mixed bag of results as everyone is coming off a big week of final exams, moving out of dorms and dealing with other end of the school year things. It can be hard to compete after going through all of that. I know a lot of them are looking forward to resting up this week to get ready for Nationals.”

The Trailblazers will now take next two weeks to rest, recover and prepare for the 2024 NJCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships hosted at Brown Stadium at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

The three day meet is set to begin Thursday, May 16 and will conclude on Saturday, May 18 in Monroe, La.

“Overall, I think we got almost everything done that we were hoping for,” Rogier said. “Tyler’s group performed very well against some stiff competition. This meet is set up to be a last chance qualifier for Division I programs. That is why you see schools like Notre Dame and Michigan. We are grateful that they allow us to be a part because it’s a great opportunity for our athletes to compete against some of the best talent in the country.”

ISU finishes with 6-5 win

NORMAL, Ill. – With the score tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the 7^th, Illinois State saw its first four batters reach base to defeat the University of Evansville softball team by a final of 6-5 on Saturday at Marian Kneer Stadium.

Three RBI hits in the bottom of the first saw Illinois State jump out to the early lead.  UE looked to respond in the top of the second as Hannah Hood reached on a leadoff walk before Jenna Nink doubled to right center.  A double play quickly ended the threat.

Illinois State registered three hits in the bottom of the frame before Purple Aces starter Megan Brenton forced a fly out to keep the deficit at three runs with ISU stranding the bases loaded.

Evansville got on the board in the top of the third with three consecutive batters reaching base with two outs.  A Zoe Frossard walk and Brooke Voss single were followed by an RBI hit by Jess Willsey to make it a 3-1 game.  The Redbirds quickly fought back, plating two runs in the bottom of the third.

Things remained at 5-1 until the top of the 5^th when two runs scored on another hit by Jess Willsey to cut the deficit to 5-3.  One inning later, it was Frossard coming through with the game-tying hit.  Niki Bode opened the frame with a pinch hit single while Marah Wood reached on a 1-out fielder’s choice.  With two outs, Frossard double to left center to bring in both runners.

Still tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the 7^th, the Redbirds rallied to take the win.  Following a leadoff single, ISU saw its next three batters walk as the winning run crossed the plate.   Evansville posted eight hits in the game with Willsey recording a pair.

Brenton tossed three innings with five runs, four earned, crossing the plate.  Mikayla Jolly threw three innings with just one run scoring.

Sunday’s regular-season finale begins with a 12 p.m. first pitch.