VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team resumed their Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) schedule Saturday afternoon at Jerry Blemker Field, playing host to Danville Area Community College in the first two games of a four-game weekend set.

The Blazers fell behind early and came up on the wrong end of a 10-5 and 9-6 final scores in the conference doubleheader.

The day got off to a rocky start for the Trailblazers, with the Jaguars breaking the scoreless tie first with three runs in the second and adding another run in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead.

Vincennes would get on the board in the bottom half of the fourth however after a leadoff walk by freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.), followed by a hit by pitch by sophomore Jack Robinson (Mooresville, Ind.) and a single by sophomore Brandon Juarez (Evansville, Ind.) loaded the bases with one out.

Douglas would come in to score on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.), putting the Blazers on the scoreboard but still trailing 4-1.

Vincennes would continue to cut into the deficit in the sixth after back-to-back walks by Hinton and sophomore Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.) and a single by sophomore Jace Parnin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) again loaded the bases with only one out.

Sophomore Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.) would drive in the first run of the inning on an RBI single, followed by a run scoring fielder’s choice put in play by sophomore Bryton Griffy (Louisville, Ill.) put the Blazers within a run of the Jaguars at 4-3.

Danville Area would respond however in the top of the seventh, putting together a big six run inning to take a commanding 10-3 lead.

VU would continue to battle in the bottom of the seventh with a single by redshirt freshman Holden Clifton (Louisville, Ill.), followed by a two-run home run by Brandon Juarez, his third of the season.

This would be as close as the Blazers would get however as the teams traded zeros in the final two innings to give Danville Area the 10-5 victory over VU.

Freshman Carson Allen (Louisville, Ky.) got the start in game one for the Trailblazers, pitching into the seventh inning, allowing five runs, three earned runs, on 11 hits and striking out two.

Freshman JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) came out of the bullpen to throw two and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just a single hit and striking out four in the outing.

VU would look to bounce back in the second game of the conference doubleheader but again quickly found themselves trailing on the scoreboard.

 Evansville, In.:  Despite being forced to settle for the split of the weekend series, the Thunderbolts officially punched their ticket to the President’s Cup Playoffs next month with Knoxville’s loss, as the Thunderbolts were defeated 4-1 by the Rivermen on Saturday night at Ford Center.   The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, April 5^th against the Birmingham Bulls, puck drop at 7:00pm CT.

Penalties cost the Thunderbolts dearly in the first period as the Rivermen built up a 4-0 lead on goals from Jordan Ernst at 3:41, Renat Dadadzhanov at 4:38, Cayden Cahill at 11:45, and JM Piotrowski at 12:32, with all but Dadadzhanov’s coming on the power play.  Between the third and fourth goals, Ty Taylor was swapped out for Cole Ceci, who held the Rivermen scoreless in the final two periods.  Evansville managed to break the Rivermen shutout with a shorthanded goal at 8:42 of the third period, as Lincoln Hatten set up Matt Dorsey on a 2-on-1 rush for Evansville’s second shorthanded goal of the season and second in consecutive weekends, trimming Peoria’s lead down to 4-1.

Dorsey scored Evansville’s lone goal on the night.  In goal, Taylor finished with 6 saves on 9 shots before Ceci finished the game with 22 saves on 23 shots in relief.  The Thunderbolts and Rivermen do not meet again this regular season, however these teams may meet again in the first round of the President’s Cup Playoffs in April.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana freshman rightfielder Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky) hit a three-run bomb in the bottom of the ninth to rally the Screaming Eagles by Tennessee Tech University, 7-5, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI is 10-12 overall and 1-1 in the OVC, while TTU goes to 13-10, 1-1 OVC.
 
The Screaming Eagles fell behind early after the Golden Eagles scored five times in the third and held the lead until the final frame. USI started its comeback in the eighth when Boyd scored on a sacrifice fly by senior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela) to make the score, 5-1.
 
The USI rally continued into the ninth when it scored six runs for the 7-6 victory. The Screaming Eagles began the ninth with a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. USI cut the deficit with its first run of the ninth when sophomore shortstop Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) scored on a RBI-single by junior catcher Logan Mock (Livermore, California) to shrink the deficit to 5-2.
 
Following a TTU pitching change and a walk to senior pinch hitter Trent Robinson (Louisville, Kentucky) to load the bases again, junior second baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) moved the runners up with a two-run single to close the gap to 5-4 and set the stage for Boyd. Boyd sent the Screaming Eagles out with a win by smacking a 1-0 pitch over the center field fence for a three-run walk off winner.
 
On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) picked up the win for the Screaming Eagles in relief. Seebold (3-2) blanked the Golden Eagles for the final six innings on three hits and striking out a career-high tying six TTU batters.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –  Down to its final strike in the top of the ninth inning, the visiting Murray State baseball team rallied for three runs on Saturday afternoon to steal a 7-6 victory over the University of Evansville Purple Aces at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

After Evansville rallied for two two-out runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 4-4 tie on back-to-back two-strike base hits by graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger and senior first baseman Kip Fougerousse, the Racers used some two-out, two-strike magic of its own to take the victory.

After Taylor Howell opened the ninth inning with a double down the left-field line and a strikeout, pinch-hitter John Orberson laced a two-strike pitch down the left-field line for a double to cut UE’s lead to 6-5.  After a ground out, Murray State shortstop Drew Vogel flared a two-strike pitch just beyond the reach of UE shortstop Simon Scherry on a full-extension dive into left-center field for a base hit.  Shallenberger tried to throw out pinch-runner Gunnar Bingham at the plate, but he was unable to as the Racers tied the game at 6-6.

Outfielder Dustin Mercer then bounced a ball through the left side, where Shallenberger once again tried to gun down a runner at the plate.  Initially, the runner was called out, but upon video review, it was discovered that the runner beat the UE tag at the plate to give Murray State a 7-6 lead.

Evansville threatened to rally in the ninth, putting two men on base on an error and a walk, but pinch-hitter Evan Waggoner lined out to the warning track in right field to end the game, as Murray State right-fielder Jonathan Hogart made a running catch on the track to end the contest.  The victory clinched a series win for Murray State.

Graduate third baseman Brent Widder led the Evansville offense by going 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Scherry went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.  Evansville actually jumped to an early 4-0 lead with two runs in the first and single tallies in the second and fifth innings.  Murray State rallied for four runs in the seventh inning, though, to tie the contest and force the late drama.

With the victory, Murray State improves to 16-6 overall and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.  Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 9-13 overall and 0-2 in the Valley.  The series concludes on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.  Graduate left-hander Donovan Schultz (0-1, 9.55 ERA) will get the start for the Purple Aces.

Aces look to break through in Sunday’s finale

 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont’s pitching was the story on Saturday as the Bruins swept a doubleheader against the University of Evansville softball team.  After opening with a 3-0 win, Belmont took the second game, 7-1.

Game 1 – Belmont 3, UE 0

Bruins pitcher Emma Summers allowed three hits in a complete-game, 7-inning performance to open play on Saturday.  In the top of the first, Jess Willsey picked up a 2-out single for the Purple Aces’ first baserunner of the day, however, it was the Bruins plating the first run in the bottom of the second.

Evansville did not have another baserunner until the fifth when Hannah Hood reached on an error.  The biggest threat of the day came in the sixth when Zoe Frossard and Willsey reached on 2-out hits before a strikeout ended the frame.  BU added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and would take the 3-0 win.

Sydney Weatherford was solid in the circle, scattering three runs on six hits in six innings of work.  Willsey had two of the Aces three hits.

Game 2- Belmont 7, UE 1

A close battle throughout most of the game, Belmont plated five runs in the bottom of the sixth to clinch a 7-1 victory in the second end of the doubleheader.   Belmont once again opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom half of the first.

UE made its first threat in the second when Hannah Hood walked and Brooke Voss followed with a single.  The persistence paid off in the fourth when the Aces tied the game.  Jess Willsey hit a leadoff single before advancing to second on a passed ball.  With two outs, Voss laced a double to right field, which scored Willsey.

The Bruins stormed back with a swingle run in the bottom of the inning before a 5-spot in the 6^th pushed the lead to 7-1.  Singles by Alexa Davis and Zoe Frossard in the top of the 5^th saw UE attempt to tie it up before the big finish by the Bruins clinched the win.

Megan Brenton went 5 1/3 innings and allowed six runs on nine hits.  Mikayla Jolly recorded the final two outs.  UE had six hits in the game with Voss recording two.  Belmont’s offense was led by Emily Cockrill, who went 3-4 with two RBI and a run.  Maya Johnson threw the complete game in the circle to earn the win for the Bruins.  She fanned 11 batters.

Sunday’s series finale is slated for a 12 p.m. first pitch.

ATHENS, Ga. – Indiana will have six swims in the final evening of the 2024 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday (March 23) inside the Gabrielsen Natatorium on the campus of the University of Georgia.

Indiana’s final session kicks off in 1,650-yard freestyle heats, with three Hoosier juniors competing. Elyse Heiser will swim in the second of six heats, scheduled for 4:08 p.m. ET. Big Ten bronze medalist and the seventh-place national finisher in 2023, Mariah Denigan is slated for the fifth heat at 4:59 p.m.

No. 3 seed Ching Hwee Gan will swim in the final heat that will officially begin Saturday’s final session at 6 p.m. Gan was the NCAA runner-up a year ago with a time of 15:46.28. She approached that mark at midseason, clocking a 15:48.70.

Junior Anna Peplowski has advanced to the championship final in all three of her individual events, earning program records in each along the way. Peplowski finished seventh in the 100-yard freestyle preliminaries with a new school standard 47.27. Sophomore Kristina Paegle made it to the consolation final in 47.72.

Senior Ashley Turak swam her final individual race in a personal best 48.23. The fifth-year has set individual records in each of her three events this week, her final collegiate meet. Turak is expected to swim the 400-yard freestyle relay to end the night. Indiana boasts the No. 9-seeded relay coming into the evening, but a top-8 finish would mark the program’s first NCAA meet reaching the podium in four relays.

RESULTS (Prelims)

200 BACKSTROKE

47. Kacey McKenna – 1:56.44

100 FREESTYLE

7. Anna Peplowski – 47.27 (Championship Final, All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
8. Kristina Paegle – 47.72 (Consolation Final, Second-Team All-America)
9. Ashley Turak – 48.23 (Career Best)

200 BREASTSTROKE

17. Brearna Crawford – 2:08.60 (First Alternate)

200 BUTTERFLY

34. Anna Freed – 1:56.65 (Career Best)

PLATFORM

23. Ella Roselli – 237.30
24. Skyler Liu – 219.20

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Brearna Crawford (200 medley relay*, 400 medley relay*)
Ching Hwee Gan (800 freestyle relay)

Anne Fowler (1-meter*, 3-meter)
Kacey McKenna (200 medley relay*, 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay*)
Kristina Paegle (200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay*, 100 freestyle*)
Anna Peplowski (800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle, 400 medley relay*, 100 freestyle)
Ella Ristic (800 freestyle relay)
Chiok Sze Yeo (200 medley relay*)

Ashley Turak (50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay)