Aces set for final home weekend

 TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Sydney Weatherford tossed a complete game shutout and Niki Bode picked up a late 2-run single to help the University of Evansville softball team earn a 3-0 win over Indiana State on Wednesday at Price Field.

Weatherford allowed just three hits while fanning three batters on the way to win #7 of the season.  The Purple Aces recorded six hits on the day with Taylor Howe going 2-3 with a double and two runs scored.

 Pitching was the story as both starters were lights out with the game being scoreless after four innings.  Indiana State had the first hit of the day on a leadoff bunt in the first while Hannah Hood’s 1-out double in the top of the second was the first hit of the contest for UE.

As the game progressed, it was obvious that runs would be a premium and Evansville was the first to score on a fluke play that was keyed by heads-up baserunning.  Taylor Howe reached on a 1-out double.  Up next was Lacy Smith.  After striking out, Smith hustled to first on the dropped third strike and forced a throwing error by the Sycamores catcher.  Howe scored all the way from first to break the scoreless tie.

In the top of the 7^th, UE came through with two important insurance runs.  Marah Wood and Howe recorded back-to-back singles with one out.  Howe stole second to put two runners in scoring position for pinch hitter Niki Bode.  The freshman came through with a single to right center to score both runners and make it a 3-0 game.

From there, Weatherford got the job done as she retired the side in order to clinch the victory.

UE returns home this weekend for its final home series of the season against Missouri State.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –  During the University of Evansville’s eight-game winning streak, pitching and defense helped power the Purple Aces’ success.  On Wednesday night, that wasn’t the case, as the homestanding Purdue Boilermakers scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back, as Purdue snapped UE’s winning streak with a 10-6 victory at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.

After UE had jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by graduate first baseman Chase Hug and an RBI ground out by graduate third baseman Brent Widder, the Boilermakers sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and scored four runs on just two hits.  In the inning, UE committed three errors, issued two walks, and hit a batter to help Purdue grab a lead it would never lose.

Purdue would add two more runs in the second inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by catcher Connor Caskenette and outfielder Keenan Taylor to grab a 6-2 lead.  The Boilermakers would tack on single tallies in the third, fourth and fifth innings to build the lead to 9-2.  A walk scored in the fourth inning and a hit batter came around to score in the fifth for Purdue.

UE would finally answer back in the eighth inning with a run on an RBI double by Widder.  Then, after Purdue scored a run of its own in the eighth inning, UE was able to plate three runs in the ninth inning to make things interesting.  Senior outfielder Kip Fougerousse had an RBI single, and Hug added a two-run single to provide the final score of 10-6.

Hug went 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead UE offensively.  Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger also went 2-for-2 and reached base in all five trips to the plate, scoring two runs.  Fougerousse also had a two-hit day, while Widder drove in two RBI for UE.  On the mound, UE issued seven walks and hit five Purdue batters.  It equals the most free bases the UE pitching staff has allowed all year.  UE’s four errors also equaled a season-high.

With the victory, Purdue improved to 26-15 overall.  Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 22-18 with the loss.  The Purple Aces will now return home to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium for an important three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against Missouri State.  Evansville is currently in second place in the MVC with a 10-5 conference mark, just two games behind league-leading and nationally-ranked Indiana State entering the weekend.  The series will begin on Friday at 6 p.m. and continue both Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.  Tickets for each game are currently available by calling Logan Belz in the UE athletic ticket office by phone at 812-488-2623.

Pozzato joins UE as a freshman in 2024

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Gabriel Pozzato – a 6-foot-7 forward from Italy – has officially signed with the University of Evansville men’s basketball program.  Pozzato joins as a freshman for the 2024-25 season.

The high school senior comes to Evansville from the NBA Academy in Australia where he averaged 8.6 points per game in his final season with the program.

“We’re extremely excited to add Gabriel and his family to our UE family.  Our staff had an opportunity to evaluate Gabriel while he was participating in the NBA Academy games.  We quickly noticed his athletic ability along with his ability to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor,” UE head coach David Ragland exclaimed.  “We have been focused on continuing to add height to our roster as well as continuing to add players that have the ability to dribble, pass and shoot.  During the recruitment process, Coach Snow did a wonderful job of cultivating a strong relationship with Gabriel and his inner circle.”

“We believe in recruiting young men that have been a part of winning programs.  Gabriel is the perfect example of that.  He is also the perfect fit for our culture,” Ragland added.  “Aces fans will love watching Gabriel play here at the University of Evansville.”

Last year, Pozzato participated in the FIBA U18 European Championship for Italy.  Over the course of seven contests, he averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.  Pozzato scored 17 points against Denmark and added 15 tallies versus Croatia.

“I am excited to be a part of this team and family.  I believe this program is going to help me in this new chapter of my journey and will support me to grow and reach my goals,” Pozzato said.  “I want to thank Coach Ragland and his staff for the opportunity.  I look forward to representing UE!”