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Mandatory Payout $8 Million + Gulfstream’s Rainbow Pick 6
Florey and Parr lead Aces to first MVC win
Final game of series set for Saturday at noonÂ
Morgan Florey and Chandra Parr helped the University of Evansville softball team earn its first Missouri Valley Conference win of the season as the Purple Aces took the second game of the doubleheader against UNI on Friday afternoon at Cooper Stadium.
Evansville (12-15, 1-4 MVC) fell to UNI (23-9, 3-2 MVC) by a 6-0 final in the first game of the day before rebounding with a 6-1 triumph in game two. The teams are set for the rubber match on Saturday at noon inside Cooper Stadium.
“I am very proud of how our girls bounced back today,†Aces head coach Mat Mundell said. “We play six really good innings in game one and were really able to put it together in game two. UNI is one of the best teams in the conference and we played right with them all day.â€
A pitcher’s duel took place in the first game as the contest was scoreless for the first five frames. Starters Amanda Blankenship along with Chelsea Ross of UNI allowed a combined 11 hits in their 14 innings of work. Northern Iowa was the first to find the scoreboard as they pushed a run across in the sixth on a Micalla Rettinger RBI single.
The Panthers saw five more runs cross the plate in the top of the 7th as a 3-run home run from Anna Varriano was the big play in the inning. The Aces finished the game with five hits as Courtney Land hit two of them.
UNI was able to get on the board right away in game two as Chelsea Ross hit a home run to deep center field to give the Panthers an early 1-0 advantage. Evansville came right back in the bottom half of the inning utilizing some 2-out magic. After the first two batters of the game struck out, the Purple Aces saw five batters in a row reach base.
With the bases loaded, a wild pitch brought home Chandra Parr for the first run of the day for UE. Pitcher Morgan Florey helped her own cause, shooting a single up the middle to bring in two more runs to give UE a 3-1 lead. Evansville struck again in the bottom of the third as Danielle Freeman laced a double to left field, plating Parr, who reached base earlier in the inning. She would later score on an error to give the Aces a 5-1 edge.
One more run would cross the plate in the sixth and Florey got the job done in the circle, throwing a complete game en route to her sixth win over the season. She allowed one run on six hits and struck out six batters. The Aces notched six hits in the second game as Parr, Freeman and Florey had two apiece.
Tomorrow, the final game of the series will take place at Cooper Stadium in a noon start time.
Strain stars as UE shuts out Eastern KentuckyÂ
RICHMOND, Ky. – Connor Strain put together his best start of the season on Friday afternoon, and the University of Evansville baseball team took full advantage of it as the Purple Aces dealt Eastern Kentucky a 4-0 decision at Turkey Hughes Field.
Strain (2-1) was once again impeccable on the mound, allowing just three hits and a walk over six frames. The senior right-hander also set a career high with eight strikeouts, and he’s now tossed 14.1 consecutive scoreless innings since returning from injury earlier this month.
“Right now, I’m just having a whole lot of fun going out there and competing,†Strain said. “I’m not taking it for granted, and I’m trying to do my best to help the team win. I had the confidence to throw all of my pitches today regardless of the count, and that makes a huge difference.â€
“Connor just took control of the game for us,†UE head coach Wes Carroll added. “He was a really confident pitcher all game, and that’s what you like to see from your No. 1 starter. The key to our success is to get solid pitching and to take care of the baseball defensively. That’s something that we’ve been harping on the last couple weeks, so this is an important win for us.â€
The defensive prowess also wasn’t missed on Strain.
“We’ve been playing a lot better defense,†the senior explained. “For me, as a sinker ball pitcher, I’m going to get a lot of ground balls, and it’s huge to see those guys making plays for me. It really puts me at ease to have them behind me like that because it allows me to focus on making my pitches.â€
After being held hitless through the first three innings, the Aces (10-10) were able to get going in a big way in the fourth. Josh Jyawook led off the frame with a double, and Travis Tokarek, who was inserted into the line-up shortly before first pitch due to an injury, sent a 2-0 pitch soaring over the fence in right field to give UE the lead.
“Coach Carroll was talking earlier this week about how we need to show up with the right kind of intensity, whether you’re in the line-up or not,†Tokarek said. “I think the whole team did that today, and for me, I guess it kind of carried through into my at-bats.â€
UE would manufacture another score with an Eric McKibban groundout in the fifth, and Jonathan Ramon hit his team-leading sixth home run of the season in the sixth to make it 4-0.
The Aces have now homered 22 times this season, surpassing the season total of a year ago.
Eric Nerl (3-1), who got the start on the mound for the Colonels (10-12), was pegged with his first loss of the season after allowing all four runs on six hits over eight innings.
EKU would try to make things interesting late, but Aces closer Brent Jurceka proved up to the task, stranding two in the eighth before tossing a perfect ninth to record his second save of the season.
The Aces will be back in action on Saturday with a doubleheader at Turkey Hughes Field, beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern time.
NOTES: Friday marked the second UE shutout of the season … It was also the first true road shutout since a 10-0 decision at Bradley on April 26, 2015 … The last time the Aces had a nine-inning road shutout was a 1-0 victory at Missouri State on May 15, 2014 … Jonathan Ramon’s six home runs represent the highest single-season total for an Aces hitter since former star Kevin Kaczmarski left the park six times in 2013 … The 22 team homers are the most in a single season since 2011, when the Aces hit 26 … Since 1978, the Aces are 9-8-1 against Eastern Kentucky and 112-85-2 vs. schools that hail from the state of Kentucky.
Campaign Update—Orentlicher for Congress
Campaign Update—Orentlicher for Congress
This past week, we enjoyed a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner with the Pike County Democrats in Petersburg, the March dinner meeting of the Otter Creek Democrats in Terre Haute, and a fish fry at Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute.
Residents of the 8th District commonly voice concerns about our health care system. As a physician, I know firsthand that we need to invest more of our health care dollars to prevent disease. An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.
Anti-smoking efforts provide an important example. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidelines for programs that could reduce cigarette smoking among adults by about one-third. With annual spending of just over $3 billion for the CDC’s recommended programs, we could cut deeply into the $300 billion in annual costs to our country from smoking.
While we need to invest more health care dollars in disease prevention, the 8th District’s incumbent has joined with his Republican colleagues in Congress to cut funding for an important public health and prevention program that was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act. Regrettably, the incumbent has described the program as a “slush fund.†With your support, we can do better and ensure that our government does much more to promote the public’s health.
Please do not hesitate to let me know of ideas you have to improve public policy. You can reach me at david.orentlicher@yahoo.com
For more information on our campaign, you can follow us on our Facebook page and at our website.
USI Women’s T&F racks up four first-place finishes at VU
The University of Southern Indiana women’s track & field team opened the 2016 outdoor season Thursday with four first-place finishes at the Bill Smith Invitational.
Seniors Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan) and Jordan Jones (Bargersville, Indiana) earned first-place finishes in the 1,500 meters and javelin, respectively, while fellow classmate Kaylen White (Clarks Hills, Indiana) was first in the 400-meter hurdles. USI also earned the top two finishes in the 4×800-meter relay.
Reeves crossed the tape in the 1,500 meters with a time of four minutes, 49.45 seconds, while Jones had a heave of 96 feet, 6.00 inches. White finished the 400-meter hurdles in 1:08.47.
Jones led the Eagles with four top-five finishes on the day. She was second in the discus, fourth in the hammer throw, and fifth in the shot put.
As a team, the Screaming Eagles racked up 18 top-five finishes, including junior Crystal Blair’s (Bloomington, Indiana) third-place showing in the pole vault. Blair broke her own outdoor school record with her vault of 10 feet, 10.00 inches.
USI returns to action April 1-2 when it competes at the Washington University Invitational in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, California.
USI’s Archuleta gets No. 500, USI sweeps Bellarmine
University of Southern Indiana Head Coach Tracy Archuleta won his 500th career game and the Screaming Eagles swept a doubleheader from Bellarmine University Friday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Eagles won the opener, 12-1, and took the nightcap, 4-0.
Archuleta reached the 500 win plateau in 14-plus season, collecting 148 win in six years at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and 352 wins in eight-plus season at the helm of the Eagles. The eight-plus seasons with USI has included a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships and two ABCA National Coach of the Year awards.
Following Friday’s action, USI saw its record go to 13-7 overall and 2-0 in the GLVC, while Bellarmine finished the day 8-10 overall, 0-2 GLVC. The game one victory also snapped the Eagles’ three-game losing streak.
In the opener, USI sophomore leftfielder Buddy Johnson (Shelbyville, Kentucky) drove in four runs and junior right-hander Colin Nowak (Carol Stream, Illinois) pitched eight strong innings as the Eagles posted a 12-1 victory.
Johnson broke the game open for the Eagles with back-to-back two-run doubles in USI’s half of the second and third innings. The sophomore finished the game with a team-high and a career-best three hits and four RBIs.
Nowak (2-1) won his second game of the year by allowing one run on five hits and striking out three in eight innings of work. Senior right-hander Ben Blaize (Henderson, Kentucky) pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the 12-1 victory.
The nightcap was scoreless until the Eagles exploded for all of their runs in the fifth inning and recorded a 4-0 victory to complete the doubleheader sweep. Senior rightfielder Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana) capped off the four-run, fifth-inning rally with a two-run single with one out in the frame.
On the mound, junior right-hander Lucas Barnett (Sellersburg, Indiana) recorded his second complete-game shutout of the season in winning his team-best fourth game of the year. Barnett (4-1) scattered three hits and struck out eight in the seven-inning contest.
The Eagles and the Knights finish the four-game series Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. USI hits the road for a single non-conference game versus the 18th-ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis Wednesday at 2 p.m. in St. Louis, Missouri.
Mallards Edge IceMen in the Quad Cities
(Evansville’s comeback effort falls short in 3-1 loss in final meeting with the Mallards.)
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| Scoring | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
| Evansville | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Quad City | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Shots | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total |
| Evansville | 8 | 9 | 14 | 31 |
| Quad City | 13 | 12 | 12 | 37 |
| Â | PP | Penalties |
| Evansville | 0/1 | 3 for 6 minutes |
| Quad City | 1/2 | 2 for 4 minutes |
Records:Â Â Evansville: 26-30-7-2; Quad City: 32-26-4-2
Goalies: QC – Hoffman (W), 15-16-1-0, 30 saves, 1 GA
EVN – Greenham (L), 10-7-2-1, 34 saves, 2 GA
Scoring:
1st Period: 1. QC – Carey 21 (PP, Knight, Coldwell, 19:06)
2nd Period: 2. QC – Pochiro 9 (Knight, Nikiforov, 1:37)
3rd Period: 3. EVN – Wideman 12 (Morongell, Moon, 6:48); 4. QC – Archambault 17 (EN, unassisted, 19:27)
MOLINE, IL – The Quad City Mallards picked up two key points in the Western Conference playoff race with a 3-1 win Friday over the Evansville IceMen at the iWireless Center.
The Mallards peppered IceMen goaltender Scott Greenham in the opening period, but Greenham made several key saves in keeping the game scoreless for the first 19 minutes of play. The Mallards, however, took a 1-0 lead with 54 seconds left in the frame on Quad City’s first power play, when Matt Carey blasted a one-timer into the net from the right circle.
Quad City extended its lead to 2-0 early in the second period, when Zach Pochiro snuck a backhander over Greenham’s glove 1:37 into the frame. Mallards goalie Brody Hoffman stopped all nine IceMen shots in the period and 17 through the first 40 minutes. Greenham made 11 saves in the middle stanza.
Evansville cut the lead in half, when Alex Wideman jammed in a loose puck at the side of the net out of a goal-mouth scramble midway through the third period. But the IceMen comeback fell short, as Olivier Archambault added an empty net goal for the Mallards in the final minute. Hoffman made 30 saves in the win, while Greenham stopped 34 in the loss.
The IceMen wrap up the week with a 7:30pm EST Saturday contest against the Fort Wayne Komets at Memorial Coliseum. It’ll be the first meeting between the two teams in Fort Wayne, since Evansville won 6-4 back on December 13.
—
THIS WEEK
Wed. 3/23 – Missouri 2, Evansville 1, OT – Silverstein Eye Centers Arena (Independence, MO)
Fri. 3/25 – Quad City 3, Evansville 1 – iWireless Center (Moline, IL)
Sat. 3/26 – Evansville at Fort Wayne (7:30pm EST) – Memorial Coliseum
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FINAL HOME GAMES
Fri. 4/1 – Cincinnati at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
                        Autism Awareness Night
Sat. 4/2 – Tulsa at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center
Home Finale – TRCI Mini Stick Giveaway – Zooperstars
                      Â
AUTISM AWARENESS NIGHT – APRIL 1ST
The IceMen only have two home games remaining at the Ford Center. Evansville hosts the Cincinnati Cyclones on Friday, April 1 at 7:05pm on Autism Awareness Night. Representatives from Inspiring Autism Spectrum Families will be in attendance and have a booth on the concourse with information to raise awareness, and the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive bandanas.
FRIDAY HAT PACKS
Get a ticket and a limited edition IceMen hat for only $20 for the game Friday, April 1 against the Cincinnati Cyclones at 7:05pm. This is the final Friday game of the season, and the last chance to take advantage of this offer. Call the IceMen front office at 812-421-GOAL (4625) for details.
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“MEMORIES WEEKEND†– HOME FINALE – APRIL 2nd
Evansville plays its final game at the Ford Center Saturday, April 2 at 7:05pm against the Tulsa Oilers. As a part of “Memories Weekendâ€, the IceMen will celebrate memories of the organization’s eight years in Evansville from the AAHL days, to the CHL to the ECHL, including the team’s Davidson Cup Championship in 2010. The first 1,000 fans into the arena will receive team autographed mini goalie sticks, presented by TRCI.
ZOOPERSTARS RETURN
Saturday, April 2 also marks the much anticipated return of the ZOOperstars, when the IceMen take on Tulsa at 7:05pm at the Ford Center for the Home Finale. Dance along with the likes of “Mario Lemuleâ€, “Whale Gretzky†and “Squidney Crosby†as they perform during the first and second intermission. For more information about the ZOOperstars or to see a sample video of one of their performances, visit: http://www.zooperstars.com/top-intermission-entertainment-act-for-nhl-minor-league-hockey.html
FAMILY 4 PACKS ARE BACK
Get 4 Upper Level tickets to either IceMen game next weekend for only $40! Lower level tickets are also available at a discounted rate when buying 4 or more. The offer is only available online or by calling the IceMen offices at 812-421-GOAL (4625).
Visit us at www.evansvilleicemen.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @EvvIceMen for more information about your hometown professional hockey team.
IS IT TRUE MARCH 26, 2016
IS IT TRUE the  City of Evansville General Fund showed a balance of $5,946,049 as of December 31, 2015?  … the General Fund should have shown a deficit balance of $11,886,084 as of December 31, 2015?  … the Wastewater Utility account was prepaid the 2016 payment in lieu of taxes payment totaling $1,400,000?  …the City did not pay the General fund’s portion of hospitalization bills for the 2rd quarter of 2015 totaling $3,932,133?  ….In December of 2015, the City improperly transferred $12,500,000 from the Riverboat Fund into the General Fund originating from the advancement of Tropicana lease payments to be paid in the future?  … the Riverboat Funds were improperly deposited in the General Fund without City Council official approval?
IS IT TRUE last week we were talking with a group of veteran Sheriff Office employees and they told us that  since Sheriff Wedding has taking over the helm morale has drastically improved?  …they also told us that Sheriff Wedding is a hands on leader who is extremely down to earth?  …we find Sheriff Wedding an extremely likable and down to earth person?
IS IT TRUE that Cuba holds one of the highest literacy rates in the world at 99.8%?
IS IT TRUE that Cuba reportedly had over 150 nuclear weapons at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
IS IT TRUE it’s time for “GUNS AND HOSES “ event  to begin?  ….we strongly urge you to purchase a ticket to this extremely worthwhile charitable event?
IS IT TRUEÂ that a political sign placed on the State-Right -Away located on the Lloyd Expressway next to Harrison High School was removed by the State Transportation Highway officials yesterday? Â …this political sign belonged to Vanderburgh County Commissioner candidate Alex Schmitt? Â …we look forward to see if the City Engineering Department will stop playing political games and demand that Mr. Schmitt remove his other political sign located on the City right way on the corner Newburgh and Lincoln Ave on the Eastside?
IS IT TRUE we would like to point out that Rev Adrian Brooks was not reappointed to the Police Merit Commission Board because of his age but the President of the United States of America invited him and his grand children to the annual White House Easter Egg hunt in Washington DC this weekend?
IS IT TRUE despite not having much access to the internet, Cubans are a smart bunch. In fact, there are so many doctors in Cuba they’re often sent to other countries that have a shortage. The country has 90,000 of them to serve its population of 11 million. That’s eight for every 1,000 citizens – which according to the World Bank is more than double the rate in the US (2.5) and the UK (2.7)?
IS IT TRUE we would like to thank Whitney Riggs the Director of Public Relations for the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office for sending us important news about the happening of that department? We also feel that Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nick Hermann is doing an outstanding job.
IS IT TRUE we have a monster IS IT TRUE planned for this Monday’s March 28, 2016? Â …we wish you a wonderful Easter Weekend?
IS IT TRUE our next “IS IT TRUE†will be posted on this coming Monday?
Please take time and read our newest feature article entitled “HOT JOBSâ€Â posted in this section are from Evansville proper.
If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us citycountyobserver@live.com
Todays “Readers Poll†question is:  What primary are you planning to vote in?
Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Eagles Move to 8-3 with Second Consecutive Sweep
The University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis team defeated Walsh University, 9-0, Friday morning in Romeoville, Illinois in their second match of the Lewis Classic. The 45th-ranked Screaming Eagles move to 8-3 on the year in dual matches with their second 9-0 sweep in as many days. The three match win streak ties the team’s longest of the year.
The morning got started with a USI win at number-one doubles courtesy of junior Paul Forichon (Nimes, France) and sophomore Samuel Kiladejo (London, England). The duo only dropped one set winning, 8-1. Seniors Jack Joyce (Bournemouth, England) and Joel Stern (Mjoelby, Sweden) moved to 4-0 together on the year with an 8-2 win to send the match into singles play.
Freshman James Hardiman (Blackwell Bristol, United Kingdom) opened up singles play earning a 6-3, 6-0 win at number three singles. Joyce earned the fifth victory of the match to give the Eagles their eighth win of the season at number-two by a score of 6-1, 6-4. Sophomore Anthony Van Rompay (Schilde, Belgium) closed out the match getting a 6-2, 6-3 at number-six singles.
In their final match of the Lewis Classic, The Eagles will take on Tiffin University tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.
University of Southern Indiana Men’s Tennis
Walsh University vs Southern Indiana (Mar 25, 2016)
#45 Southern Indiana 9, Walsh University 0
Mar 25, 2016 at Romeoville, Illinois
| Singles competition |
| 1. Samuel Kiladejo (USI) def. Vasiliy Vidmanov (WL) 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2. Jack Joyce (USI) def. Carlos Jaque (WL) 6-1, 6-4 |
| 3. James Hardiman (USI) def. Rodrigo Garcia (WL) 6-3, 6-0 |
| 4. Joel Stern (USI) def. Jose Fernandez (WL) 6-1, 6-2 |
| 5. Paul Forichon (USI) def. Jonah Carter (WL) 6-1, 6-0 |
| 6. Anthony Van Rompay (USI) def. Tim Bruin (WL) 6-2, 6-3 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Paul Forichon/Samuel Kiladejo (USI) def. Vasiliy Vidmanov/Carlos Jaque (WL) 8-1 |
| 2. Jack Joyce/Joel Stern (USI) def. Rodrigo Garcia/Jose Fernandez (WL) 8-2 |
| 3. Aaron Barris/James Hardiman (USI) def. Jonah Carter/Pablo Cabezon (WL) 8-3 |
| Match Notes |
| Walsh University 7-6 |
| Southern Indiana 8-3; National ranking #45; Regional ranking #6 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,2,1,5,4,6) |