Florey named co-MVP

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Purple Aces freshman Morgan Florey was named the Co-MVP of the Tiger Classic while Michal Luckett earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Florey pitched 13 2/3 innings over the weekend where she struck out 23 batters and gave up just one unearned run.  Florey also picked up three wins over the weekend.  In the win over East Tennessee State, Florey fanned a career-high nine batters in four innings of work.  She followed that up on Saturday going 5 2/3 innings where she struck out eight.

In the win over Northern Kentucky to cap off the weekend, Florey pitched the final four innings as she earned her third win of the season and fourth of the year.  Making her effort even more impressive in the win over NKU is that she drove in the winning run in the top of the 8^th inning.  In her first at-bat of the season, Florey singled to center field to help the Aces win their 8^th game of the year.

Luckett had a great weekend of her own, hitting an unbelievable .625.  She recorded a hit in 10 of her 16 at-bats over the weekend, hitting a home run and driving in four runs.  She also scored five times.

Her weekend began with a perfect 3-3 effort against Tennessee State where she scored twice.  Next time out versus ETSU, Luckett went 2-3 while scoring twice.  Her top game of the weekend came in the finale against NKU as she went 4/5 while scoring her 9^th run of the season.

Below is the full All-Tournament Team:

Co-MVP:

Morgan Florey – Evansville

Rochelle Roberts – ULM

Team:

Lindsey Fadnek – East Tennessee State

Bethany Cowart – East Tennessee State

Taylor Carter – East Tennessee State

Michal Luckett – Evansville

Melanie Coyne – ULM

Maggie MacBeth – Butler

Alina Maher – Northern Kentucky

Courtney Gearlds – Tennessee State

Lauren Powell – Tennessee State

On Friday, Evansville heads back to the state of Tennessee where they will play in the UT-Chattanooga 2016 Frost Classic, which will take place in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Evansville becomes just second team to beat ECHL’s best at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.

Records:  Evansville: 19-24-6-1; Missouri: 41-7-2-1

Goalies:   MO – Summerhays (L), 4-8-1-0, 24 saves

EVN – Greenham (W), 6-5-1-0, 31 saves

Scoring:

1^st Period: 1. EVN – Leveille 19 (HImelson, Harrison, 3:34)

2^nd Period:  2. MO – Cullity 3 (Johnston, T. Ludwig, 12:06)

3^rd Period:  3. EVN – Humphries 1 (unassisted, 5:45)

INDEPENDENCE, MO – The short-handed Evansville IceMen did something only one other team has done this season on Sunday. The IceMen beat the Missouri Mavericks 2-1 at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. It was only Missouri’s third home loss in 27 games.

The IceMen found the back of the net early in the game, when Andrew Himelson’s shot from the point deflected off of a stick in front of Mavericks goaltender Steven Summerhays 3:34 into the first period. Evansville outshot Missouri 15-8 in the frame, but was unsuccessful on a four-minute power play when Jesse Root’s stick came up and caught Alex Wideman. Wideman did not return.

The Mavericks tied the game when Patrick Cullity fired a shot through a screen over the glove of IceMen goalie Scott Greenham at 12:06 of the second period. The two goalies took a beating with several collisions at the net, but both teams continued to struggle on the power play. The teams skated into the third period tied 1-1.

Evansville benefitted from a Missouri blunder on a delayed IceMen penalty 5:45 into the third period in what turned out to be the game-winning goal. With Summerhays pulled for an extra attacker, Tyler Barnes’ shot from the point was blocked by IceMen defensemanSpencer Humphries. When Barnes tried to recover, he swept the puck all the way down the ice into his own net.

Suddenly in the lead, the IceMen killed the sixth Mavericks power play and hung on to the 2-1 victory. Greenham stopped 31 shots in the win.

The IceMen head to Cincinnati Tuesday to complete the four-game road trip, before returning home February 26-27 for two games against the Atlanta Gladiators for Pink the Rink Weekend. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on www.evansvilleicemen.com and ECHL TV. Game time is scheduled for 7:35pm EST (6:35 in Evansville), and pregame coverage will begin at 6:20pm CST.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES

Fri. 2/26 – Atlanta at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center

                        Pink the Rink Weekend – Paint the Ice

Sat. 2/27 – Atlanta at Evansville (7:15pm) – Ford Center

                        Pink the Rink Weekend – Jersey Auction

 

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PINK THE RINK

The IceMen invite you to Pink the Rink Weekend February 26-27 at the Ford Center! For just $5, purchase the opportunity to paint the name of a loved one on the ice following Friday night’s game. An exclusive ticket special for the weekend includes a goal zone ticket to both Friday and Saturday night’s games and name on the ice for just $35. The IceMen will be wearing specialty jerseys both nights which will be auctioned off Saturday night after the game. All proceeds from the painting of the names and the jersey auction will go to Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.  Both games start at 7:15 pm against the Atlanta Gladiators. Call 812-421-GOAL (4625) for more information.

MARCH BOOK DRIVE

The IceMen will be hosting a book drive for three games in March. The team will be collecting new or gently used beginner to teen books Friday March 4^th and Saturday March 5th when Evansville hosts the Tulsa Oilers and again Sunday March 6th when the IceMen take on the Wichita Thunder. Bookmarks will be handed out for every book donated, and anyone with a bookmark can present it at the Ford Center Ticket Office for a discounted ticket to the IceMen game Wednesday March 9^th.  All of the books will be donated to Evansville Hangers.

DOMINO’S 4-GAME HAT PACK

Choose any four IceMen home games and get a FREE limited edition IceMen hat and a large 1-topping Domino’s pizza, starting at only $17 per ticket. Call the IceMen front office at 812-421-GOAL (4625) for details.

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.

 

MOBILE, Ala. – Three University of Evansville baseball players recorded their first home run of the season on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a big first inning from South Alabama as the Purple Aces dropped an 18-5 decision to the host Jaguars at Stanky Field.

“We weren’t ready to compete this weekend, and that falls back on me,” UE head coach Wes Carroll said. “We were were beat in every aspect of the game. This team showed a lot of fight in the fall, and there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll bounce back in practice and compete this week in order to be ready for next weekend.”

The Jaguars (3-0) got to Aces starting pitcher Brandon Gomer quickly, scoring seven runs in the opening frame to put the UE behind for good. The freshman out of Lenexa, Kan., allowed five hits in the frame and was pegged with the loss in his Aces debut.

UE (0-3) attempted to answer the call in the ensuing half-inning as Shain Showers uncorked a three-run blast to left field to cut the deficit down to four. However, the momentum wouldn’t last long as the hosts tacked on two runs apiece in the third and fifth innings to take an 11-3 edge into the sixth.

Showers would end the day as one of two Aces hitters to register multiple hits, going 2-for-4 at the plate with three runs batted in, but he was bettered by his USA counterpart in Drew LaBounty, who ended 4-for-4 with seven RBI and three runs.

Both Boomer Synek and Jonathan Ramon homered in the top of the sixth, but a five-run bottom-half re-established control for the Jaguars, who would add two more in the seventh to account for the final score.

Jaguars reliever James Traylor was credited with the victory after allowing just one run over 3.2 innings.

UE will continue its current seven-game season-opening road swing next weekend as the Aces take off for South Carolina to take on USC Upstate, Wofford and Monmouth.

NOTES: UE is 2-4 all-time vs. South Alabama and 6-10 against schools based in Alabama since 1978 … The Aces had won each of their past two season opening series, sweeping past Lipscomb in 2014 and taking two of three from UALR a year ago … Overall, UE is now 28-32 in season-opening series since 1978.

A 35-point second half wasn’t enough to fuel a comeback for the University of Evansville women’s basketball team as the Purple Aces fell 66-47 to visiting Missouri State at The Ford Center on Sunday afternoon.

“The last two games our kids have gotten a little down on themselves because they aren’t seeing the ball get in the basket, and as a coaching staff, we have to keep encouraging them to stay confident,” UE head coach Oties Epps said. “You’re going to have bad shooting days sometimes, and you have to continue to trust the work you put in, and put more value in your defense. If you’re drawing some of that confidence from your defense too, it’s only going to help you on both ends.”

The Aces (2-23, 1-13 Missouri Valley) weren’t able to overcome early shooting woes versus the Lady Bears (18-9, 11-4 MVC), who would take a 23-12 lead into the half. For the game, UE was held to 28.1% shooting from the field while the visitors out of Springfield, Mo., shot 41.4%.

The trio of Camille Coleman, Sara Dickey and Camary Williams led the Aces on the day as each racked up eight points. Both Dickey and Coleman also tied for the team lead in rebounds with six.

Meanwhile, MSU’s Lexi Hughes led all scorers with 15 points, going 5-of-9 from the field, and both Tyonna Snow and Kenzie Williams chipped in another 11 apiece for the Lady Bears.

UE will return to action next week with its final road trip of the regular season. The Aces will take on Indiana State on Friday before setting out for Normal, Ill., to face Illinois State Sunday.

NOTES: UE is 12-36 all-time vs. Missouri State … In home contests, the Aces are 9-14 … For the fifth time this season, Sara Dickey failed to register double-digit points … Dickey has 1,540 career points, the third-best mark in school history … Shyla McKibbon-Puelston is the next target on the all-time scoring list for Dickey. McKibbon-Puelston entered the UE Athletics Hall of Fame last month, and she finished her Aces career in 2002 with 1,626 career points … Sasha Robinson is five rebounds away from moving up to ninth all-time in the Aces history books.

UE sits at 8-2 overall

 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the final game of the Tiger Classic, the University of Evansville softball team capped off another 4-1 weekend in style, taking down Northern Kentucky by a final of 5-4 in extra innings.

Michal Luckett was the offensive star once again for the Aces (8-2) as she went 4-5 with an RBI and run scored.  Ashlee Kawall notched two hits for the Purple Aces wihle Hayli Scott scored two runs.

“This team keeps finding a way to grind it out,” head coach Mat Mundell said.  “We have a great pitching staff that works well with one another.  Offensively, we keep trying to play one pitch at a time.  We have a deep team with all contributing right now.”

Evansville got on the board in the top of the first on a Danielle Freeman double to left center.  That plated Luckett, who began the game with a leadoff single.  Two more UE runs cross the plate in the second as Kawall drove in the first run with a single to second base.  She would score later in the inning on Luckett’s second hit of the day.

Northern Kentucky scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the third as they took a 4-3 edge.  Two runs scored on a Sydney Ferrante double while the Norse also had two other RBI singles in the inning.

Some 2-out magic saw the Aces knot the game in the top of the 5^th.  With two outs, Hayli Scott doubled down the left field line to score the tying run.  The score remained at 4-4 until the top of the 8^th inning.  With one out and runners on the corners, Morgan Florey, who had pitched the previous three innings, came to the plate for her first at-bat of the year.  The move by the UE coaching staff paid off as Florey singled to center in what proved to be the game-winning hit.

Amanda Blankenship went 2 innings in the start while Emily Lockhart also pitched a pair, giving up one hit.  Florey earned the win as she went the final four frames and fanned six batters.  She is now 4-0.

On Friday, Evansville heads back to the state of Tennessee where they will play in the UT-Chattanooga 2016 Frost Classic, which will take place in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The University of Southern Indiana baseball team pounded out 19 hits in defeating Grand Valley State University, 16-6, Sunday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI wins the 2016 opening series and concludes the weekend 2-1, while GVSU sees its record got to 1-2.

The Screaming Eagles exploded for six runs in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a grand slam by senior catcher Ryan Bertram (Zionsville, Indiana), and jumped out to an overpowering 6-0 lead. The home run was Bertram’s second of the series.

USI would go on to scored 14 runs in the first four innings with senior centerfielder Hamilton Carr (Evansville, Indiana) capping off the four-run fourth with a two-run blast to left field. The Eagles would add a run in the sixth and seventh for the 16 runs.

Overall at the plate for the Eagles, sophomore leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) led the USI attack by going four-for-five with four RBIs and three runs scored, while Bertram finished the day two-for-four with two runs scored and the four RBIs from the first inning blast. USI also had a total of six hitters with two-or-more hits.

On the mound, junior right-hander Mike Ringer (Springfield, Illinois) picked up the win in relief. Ringer (1-0) allowed a walk and struck out one in one inning in his USI debut.

USI junior right-hander Devin Williams (Evansville, Indiana) started and got the no decision. Williams allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits and two walks, while striking out one in four-plus innings.

The Eagles continues the 10-game homestand Friday when USI hosts the Dunn Hospitality Classic, beginning with showdown with Truman State University at 2 p.m. Live coverage, statistics and audio broadcast, will be available at GoUSIEagles.com. Fans also can listen to live call of the game on WPSR 90.7FM.