Trailblazers drop hard fought doubleheader at No. 10 Heartland
NORMAL, Ill. – The Vincennes University tough baseball schedule continued Monday afternoon with the Trailblazers jumping back into their Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) schedule on the road at defending National Champions and No. 10-ranked Heartland Community College.
The Blazers battled with the Hawks throughout but ultimately came out on the wrong end of an 8-4 and 14-4 final scores.
Vincennes got off to a slow start against the Hawks, with Heartland getting on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the first.
The Blazers would answer back to get on the board in the second inning after back-to-back singles by sophomores Jace Parnin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
Freshman Reed Drabant (Columbia, Ill.) followed that by reaching on a hit by pitch and sophomore Bryton Griffy (Louisville, Ill.) reaching on a walk to load the bases.
Freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to put the Blazers on top 3-1.
Heartland would slowly work their way back with a run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.
VU would even the score in the seventh after Bryton Griffy led off the inning with a single and advanced on a successful sacrifice bunt by Bradyn Douglas.
Griffy would come around to score on a big RBI double by sophomore Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.), his third hit of the game, to even the score at 4-4.
Heartland would regain the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a run and added on with three insurance runs in the eighth as the Hawks closed out the 8-4 game one victory.
Freshman Carson Allen (Louisville, Ky.) got the start in game one for the Trailblazers, throwing six-plus strong innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits and striking out four.
Freshman Yancey Edlin (Pekin, Ind.) was the first out of the pen for VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney, throwing one and one-third innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out one.
Freshman Colton Okes (Evansville, Ind.) was called on to get the final two outs of the eighth inning, retiring both batters he faced, including one strikeout.
The Trailblazers looked to bounce back in game two of the day and early on found themselves in a pitchers’ duel with the score still tied at 0-0 going to the bottom of the fourth.
Heartland, again, was the first to break onto the scoreboard and did so in a big way, breaking the game open with 11 runs in the fourth inning.
Facing an early run-rule defeat, the Trailblazers refused to give up in the top of the fifth with freshman Damon Kay (Spencer, Ind.) making the most of just his second at bat of the season by launching a solo home run, his first collegiate home run.
Following this big fly, the Blazers seemed to have a new burst of life with Blake Heyerly and sophomore Bryan Kohlmeyer (Paris, Ill.) following the home run with back-to-back singles, Heyerly’s third hit of the game and sixth hit on the day.
SHALLENBERGER NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK; BASEBALL ACES TRAVEL TO BUTLER TUESDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Priory) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday after helping the Purple Aces to three victories last week against Austin Peay and Belmont. It is Shallenberger’s second MVC Player of the Week award in his UE career.
Shallenberger hit a team-best .357 with three home runs and a team-best eight RBI in UE’s four contests last week. He hit a key three-run home run to ignite UE’s offense in a 13-6 victory over Austin Peay to begin the week, as he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBI. Shallenberger also had two home runs and knocked a double on Saturday in UE’s 8-3 victory at Belmont to secure the series victory. Four of Shallenberger’s five hits on the week went for extra-bases, as he had a double and three home runs, while slugging 1.071. He also worked three walks on the week, while posting a .500 on-base percentage.
Overall, Shallenberger leads the UE offense with a .377 average, seven home runs and 31 RBI. Shallenberger and the Purple Aces will try to wrap up its current four-game road trip on a winning note on Tuesday afternoon, as UE will travel north to Indianapolis to battle the Butler Bulldogs. First-pitch is set for 3 p.m. central time at Butler’s Bulldog Park.
Evansville will bring a 14-17 overall record into Tuesday’s game after winning two out of three games in a series at Belmont over the weekend. UE has won four of the last five games overall. The Purple Aces continue to rank among the national leaders in doubles this season with 84, as UE ranks third in NCAA Division I baseball in the category.
Butler will bring a 13-16 overall record into Tuesday’s game after dropping two of three games at Creighton over the weekend to open Big East play. Junior infielder Carter Dorighi currently leads the Butler offense with a .391 average, while freshman infielder Kade Lewis is not far behind at .387. Lewis has been as good as any hitter in college baseball of late, hitting safely in 15 of the last 16 games with 11 multi-hit games in those 16 contests. He also provides the power in the Butler attack, having hit a team-best nine home runs so far.
Evansville will starter sophomore RHP Elias Hachem (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Tuesday afternoon. He will be opposed by Butler RHP Cooper Robinson (0-0, 54.00 ERA).
THUNDERBOLTS SET FOR FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF MATCHUP WITH BIRMINGHAM
Evansville, In.: With the regular season complete, the Thunderbolts prepare for their third consecutive trip to the President’s Cup Playoffs, taking on the top-seeded Birmingham Bulls in the first round.
Week In Review:
The Thunderbolts fell short in two close games to the Bulls on Ford Center ice this past Friday and Saturday, 5-3 on Friday and 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday. Grant Spence, Matthew Hobbs, and Myles Abbate each scored on Friday, while Adam Pilotte and Abbate provided goals on Saturday. In goal, Cole Ceci finished with 26 saves on 31 shots on Friday, with Ty Taylor stopping 26 of 28 shots along with 4 of 6 shootout attempts on Saturday.
The Week Ahead:
Game 1 between the Thunderbolts and Bulls will be at Birmingham this Wednesday, April 10th. Game 2 will be at Ford Center on Thursday, April 11th. If necessary, Game 3 will be back at Birmingham on Saturday, April 13th, all three games beginning at 7:00pm CT. Fans can watch both Games 1 and 3 (if necessary) on FloHockey with a paid subscription or can listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel. Fans can also watch both games at the Official Thunderbolts away game watch party at Parkway Pizza on 3911 Broadway Avenue on Evansville’s West Side. All tickets for Thursday’s game at Ford Center will be $25 dollars each. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2548), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.
- Thunderbolts Playoff Roster:
- Forwards: Lincoln Hatten, Mark Zhukov, Matthew Hobbs, Matt Dorsey, Myles Abbate, Jacob Kamps, Logan vande Meerakker, Brendan Harrogate, Grant Spence, Vadim Vasjonkin, Scott Kirton
- Defense: Chays Ruddy, Benjamin Lindberg, Adam Pilotte, Bronson Adams, Grayson Valente, Nick Prestia, Dmitri Yushkevich
- Goaltenders: Ty Taylor, Cole Ceci
Scouting the Opponent:
- Birmingham Bulls:
- Record: 38-9-9, 85 Points, 1st Place
- Leading Goal Scorer: Drake Glover (33 Goals)
- Leading Point Scorer: Carson Rose (65 Points)
- Primary Goaltender: Hayden Stewart (26-7-6, .925 Save %)
- Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs BHM: 3-3-1
Birmingham picked up goals from Matt Wiesner, Scott Donahue, CJ Walker, MacGregor Sinclair, and Troy MacTavish on Friday, with Saturday’s goals coming from Donahue, Drake Glover, and Sinclair with the shootout-winning goal. Hayden Stewart stopped 16 of 19 shots on Friday, with Drennen Atherton stopping 27 of 29 shots, along with 5 of 6 shootout attempts, on Saturday.
Gushrowski and Wassmer pace UE men on Monday
Aces are midway through TSU Big Blue Intercollegiate
HERMITAGE, Tenn. – Even scores of 71 by Nicholas Gushrowski and Caleb Wassmer led the University of Evansville men’s golf team in Monday’s opening round of the Tennessee State University Big Blue Intercollegiate at Hermitage Golf Course.
Gushrowski and Wassmer are tied for 16th place at the halfway point of the tournament. Carson Parker and Michael Ikejiani finished Monday’s round with scores of 72. Their 1-over-par rounds have them tied for 23rd. Isaac Rohleder carded a 74 in the first 18 holes and is in 37th.
Evansville is fifth in the team standings, just one behind Austin Peay. Missouri State and Samford lead the way with each finishing at 3-under-par on the day. Phillip Darst of Miles and Missouri State’s Eric Schuessler pace the individuals with 4-under rounds of 67.
Tuesday will mark the final round of the tournament.
USI Softball’s Newman wins OVC Pitcher of the Week for second time
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) has been named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. The OVC’s weekly accolades are voted upon by the league’s communications directors.
The junior was also named OVC Pitcher of the Week a couple of weeks ago on March 25. Newman has won OVC Pitcher of the Week five times over the last two seasons.
In USI’s recent road series at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Newman went 2-0 and did not allow a single earned run in two complete-game starts, one being a shutout in the series opener. Even more impressive, Newman struck out 31 total batters across 14 innings of work and posted a WHIP of 0.43.
Newman started the road series in the first game on Friday with a career performance toward a 2-0 victory for Southern Indiana. Newman held UT Martin hitless for the first four innings. Even though the Skyhawks did break through in the hit column, Newman remained dominant. The pitcher struck out the side in innings four through six en route to tying a career mark with 17 strikeouts in the contest. Newman previously struck out 17 batters in March 2022 against Drury University. In the 3-1 series finale win on Saturday, Newman picked up where she left off from Friday’s outing. Newman carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning. The junior hurler earned win number 14 of the season after striking out 14 batters in the complete-game effort, giving up only one hit.
The pair of stellar starts by Newman helped the Screaming Eagles win their fourth consecutive OVC series and maintain a second-place spot in the conference standings, one game back of first place.
Overall, Newman is 14-5 with a 1.79 ERA in 133 innings pitched this season. Additionally, the Indianapolis, Indiana native has 19 complete games, four shutouts, and 166 strikeouts. Within the Ohio Valley Conference, Newman is second in wins, first in innings, first in strikeouts, first in complete games, and second in shutouts. Newman has also held opposing batters to a .195 average, the best in the OVC. Newman’s 133 innings and 166 strikeouts would rank second in the nation, but USI does not officially qualify for NCAA statistical rankings as a reclassifying program. Newman also sits at 496 career strikeouts, approaching a milestone mark of 500.
Newman and the Screaming Eagles are back home at USI Softball Field this Sunday and Monday for three games against first-place Eastern Illinois University. The series was shifted back a day from the original Saturday-Sunday schedule. Coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
USI Completes the Indiana State Spring Invitational
TERRE HAUTE, Ind- University of Southern Indiana Women’s Golf completes the Indiana State Spring Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana to conclude their regular season.
There were four other competing schools in the tournament including: University of Purdue Fort Wayne, University of Evansville, Indiana State University, and Eastern Illinois University. The Mastadons of Purdue Fort Wayne came out on top with a total score of 600 (304, 296) +24 for the tournament.
Round one saw the Screaming Eagles shoot 329 led by senior Halle Gutwein (DeMotte, Indiana) and freshman Ashlynn Weir (Evansville, Indiana) both shooting a team-best 81 (+9).
USI saw improvement in the second round with the team score shrinking by 12 strokes finishing with a 317 for the round and a 646 for the entire event. Gutwein also finished with the team’s best score for the round with a 76 (+4).
WHATS NEXT FOR THE EAGLES:
Women’s Golf looks to cap off their season at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on April 14-16 at Tunica National Golf Course in Tunica, Mississippi.
Kate Petrova wins Indiana State Invitational
Petrova wins for the second year in a row
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For the second year in a row, University of Evansville golfer Kate Petrova was the top finisher at the Indiana State Invitational at the Country Club of Terre Haute.
After sitting in a tie with teammate Jane Grankina following the opening round, Petrova posted a 1-over 73 to defeat the competition in Monday’s final round. Her 144 bested Olivia Jang of Purdue Fort Wayne by two strokes.
Jane Grankina took third place in the final standings with a 147. After opening with a 71, she posted a 76 in the final 18 holes to complete the event with a 147. Third on the Purple Aces squad and tying for 13th overall was Allison Enchelmayer. She made a nice improvement from her opening round score. Enchelmayer began the tournament with a 79 before shooting a 75 on Monday to finish with a 154.
Carly Frazier came home in 20th place. She also made a jump from Sunday’s score. Frazier recorded an 81 on the first day but carded a 78 in the final 18 to wrap up play with a 159. Destynie Sheridan earned a 31stplace finish with a 169. Individual Trinity Dubbs registered a final tally of 157. Dubbs notched an 80 on Sunday before completing Monday’s round with a 77. Her 157 tied her for 18th place.
Purdue Fort Wayne took the team win with a 600. The Mastodons defeated Evansville by three strokes. PFW shot a 296 on Monday to complete the event with a 600, besting UE by three strokes. The Aces travel to Waterloo, Ill. for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship next weekend. The tournament runs from Sunday through Tuesday.
