JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana (10-10) earned their third consecutive victories against Indiana University Southeast (4-10) and Hanover College (4-4) on Sunday both by a score of 7-0.
USI has an opportunity to finish their second season of NCAA Division I with a winning regular season with a victory at Rose-Hulman University on Wednesday. This would mark a monstrous improvement after last season’s 4-15 mark.
Vs. Hanover College
USI used eight different competitors to take down Hanover College in a clean sweep. The Eagles used a few new combinations as freshman Antonia Ferrarini (Caxias do Sul, Brazil) and Sofia Davidoff (Lagny sur-Marne, France), senior Lauren Rowe (Terre Haute, Indiana) and junior Madison Windham (Clarksville, Tennessee), freshman Claire Meyer (New Albany, Indiana) and Lily Meyer (New Albany, Indiana) all dominated their doubles matches, 6-0.
Davidoff picked up a decisive 6-0, 6-0 singles number two win. She has now won an impressive nine out of her last eleven singles matches. L. Meyer earned her first collegiate singles victory of her career, 6-0, 6-1. Sophomore Elle Dewees (Newburgh, Indiana) won her second singles victory of the season. Junior Elle Ossenberg took down her opponent, 6-2, 6-4.
Vs. IU Southeast
The Eagles also used eight competitors in a rout of the Grenadiers. Davidoff and Ferrarini earned the doubles one win number two on the day, 6-1. Freshman Anais Negrail (Maison-Alfort, France) and Rowe left no doubting winning 6-0.
Negrail won her seventh singles victory in her last nine matches, 6-0, 6-0. Sophomore Khandice Thomas (Pickerington, Ohio) earned a hard-victory second victory of her season, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0.
Eagles earn third straight victories in Jeffersonville, Indiana
VU comes up short to close out weekend series with No. 15 Lincoln Land
VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team battled Sunday afternoon at Jerry Blemker Field in the final two games of their four-game weekend Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) series with No. 15-ranked Lincoln Land Community College.
The Trailblazers closed out the weekend dropping the Sunday doubleheader 10-5 in game one and 17-6 in game two.
Vincennes got off to an excellent start Sunday afternoon with sophomore Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.) coming through in the bottom of the first with a double to start a two-out rally.
Freshman Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.) reached after being hit by pitch, followed by sophomore Brandon Juarez (Evansville, Ind.) drawing a walk to load the bases.
Sophomores Dylan Ecken (Louisville, Ky.) and Bryan Kohlmeyer (Paris, Ill.) got the first two runs across on back-to-back bases loaded walks, followed by an RBI single by sophomore Bryton Griffy (Louisville, Ill.) to put the Blazers on top 3-0 over the Loggers.
Lincoln Land would get those runs back and then some in the next inning with the Loggers scoring seven in the second.
VU would look to work their way back in the third after a two-out double by Bryan Kohlmeyer and a walk by freshman Reed Drabant (Columbia, Ill.).
Kohlmeyer would come around to score on an RBI single by freshman Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.).
Drabant later scored on a double steal with Gross to cut the Blazers deficit to 7-5.
Lincoln Land would answer again in the next inning, scoring two runs in the fourth and adding another run in the fifth.
VU continued to battle and looked to regain the lead late but were unable to get another run across as Lincoln Land took game one of the day 10-5.
Freshman Alex Wandersee (Centerville, Ind.) got the start in game one for Vincennes, throwing four innings, allowing nine runs, three earned runs on six hits and two strikeouts.
Freshman JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) was the first out of the pen for Vincennes, throwing two innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits and striking out one.
Bryce Gross stepped up on the mound from his shortstop position to pitch the seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two in an inning of work.
“We jumped out early in game one and got a lead,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “Then an error, a walk, a hit batsmen and gave them back seven runs in the second inning after being up 3-0. It’s really disappointing from our guys in that situation but our guys continued to battle and kept it to a 10-5 game.”
“It’s just tough when you think you’ve got guys on the bump who can get it done and we just don’t or we can’t overcome an error and it just compounds and snowballs,” Barney added. “Guys battled and guys competed. We just came up short in game one.”
The Blazers looked to bounce back and close out the weekend strong in game two but again found themselves playing from behind early after the Loggers plated three runs in the second and added another run in the third to take a 4-0 lead.
VU would get on the on the board in the bottom of the third after Bryan Kohlmeyer, freshman Yancey Edlin (Pekin, Ind.) and sophomore Jace Parnin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) led off the inning with three straight walks.
Kohlmeyer came in to score the first Vincennes run of the game on a wild pitch, while Edlin scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryce Gross to put VU within two.
Lincoln Land got the runs back with three runs in the fourth, two run in the fifth and put the game away with a big eight-run sixth inning.
The Trailblazers were able to get some action going on the base paths in the sixth after freshman Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.), sophomore Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Dylan Ecken loaded the bases on three walks.
Fessel scored on a passed ball before freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) cleared the bases with a three-run home run, his first collegiate home run.
The late rally was unfortunately not enough as Lincoln Land closed out game two by the final score of 17-6.
Attorney General Todd Rokita co-leading fight against DOJ attempts to hijack election process from states
Attorney General Todd Rokita is co-leading 16 states in fighting federal interference with election laws after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed to deploy armies of lawyers into the states to combat “legislative measures that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to vote.”
“The Biden administration is weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice against the states,” Attorney General Rokita said. “These actions pose a direct threat to democracy, election integrity and the rule of law. We will stand up and defend our rightful authority within the framework of American federalism.”
Speaking in March, Garland said he had “double[d] the number of lawyers in the civil rights division” and “launched the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force” to deal with states allegedly maintaining “discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot.”
Attorney General Rokita and West Virgina Attorney General Patrick Morrisey co-led a 16-state letter to Garland warning that the states would “vigorously defend our election laws” and “not allow intimidation and fearmongering to supersede the will of the people.”
The very premise of Garland’s threats — the idea that states are depriving or hindering U.S. citizens from freely and easily casting votes — is false and ludicrous, the letter notes.
One of the measures at which Garland and others have taken aim is voter ID laws — which they claim disenfranchise eligible voters.
“On the contrary,” the letter states, “voter ID laws prevent voter fraud by stopping those who attempt to impersonate others at the polls. In 2005, Indiana led the charge to preserve election integrity by implementing the first-in-the-nation voter ID law, which requires in-person voters to present a valid government-issued photo ID to vote — (and) the United States Supreme Court held that voter ID laws were constitutional and did not impose a burden on the electorate.”
Amid reports of fraud in various parts of the nation, many Americans distrust the results of the 2020 general election. Some polls indicate more than 30 percent of the electorate believe the election was stolen.
“With voter confidence at an all-time low,” Attorney General Rokita said, “the U.S. Department of Justice should champion voter security measures instead of attacking states that implement them. And the DOJ should respect, as well, the constitutional provisions giving states the role of regulating elections.”
The full letter is attached.
Statement from State Senator Mark Messmer on Iran’s Bombing of Israel
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:: BILLBOARDS URGE DEMOCRATS TO VOTE REPUBLICAN IN PRIMARY
BILLBOARDS URGE DEMOCRATS TO VOTE REPUBLICAN IN PRIMARY
A series of billboards are cropping up around Indiana, and an unusual call to Hoosier Democrats is made: vote Republican this May. The crossover push is part of a media campaign by ReCenter Indiana. This bipartisan group seeks to move state politics “closer to the center” and “bring more civility to political discussions,” according to its website.
FOOTNOTE: The City-County Observer posted this article without bias or editing.
Braun, Baldwin introduce the Ensure Accountability in the De Minimis Act
WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Mike Braun and Senator Tammy Baldwin introduced the Ensure Accountability in the De Minimis Act. This legislation would provide clarity to what amounts to an illicit de minimis article that does not qualify for the de minimis administrative exemption.
“This bill would increase transparency and accountability for bad actors that take advantage of the de minimis threshold. In recent years, the majority of de minimis shipments have come from China, our top trade competitor. We need to make sure they are not gaming the system.”—Sen. Mike Braun
“We have a responsibility to ensure packages that are coming into our country are not harming Americans, but right now we are falling short. Bad actors in China are taking advantage of a trade loophole to traffic counterfeit goods that undermine our businesses and illegal substances like fentanyl that are crushing our communities. We must do more to stop it. I’m proud to work with Republicans and Democrats to give us tools to better identify these counterfeit products and harmful drugs from coming into the country, hold bad actors accountable, and protect American families. I am glad to take this step forward and will keep fighting to close this trade loophole that is allowing fentanyl into the country.”—Sen. Tammy Baldwin
Vanderburgh County lawmakers: Local communities receive state funding to roll ahead on road projects
STATEHOUSE – Vanderburgh County communities can roll forward with road and bridge projects thanks to a recent boost in state funding supported local legislators.
A total of 252 communities across the state will receive over $207 million through Indiana’s Community Crossings Matching Grant Program. Funds can be used for road and bridge preservation, road reconstruction, intersection improvements and other items.
“The Community Crossings program is a great tool for the state and local communities to work together to complete needed road projects,” said State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville). “These dollars will go a long way in helping us make necessary updates to our infrastructure.”
Area grant recipients include Evansville ($952,628), Highland ($1 million) and Vanderburgh County ($1 million).
“Maintaining our roads and bridges is critical,” said State Rep. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville). “Towns, cities and counties can take advantage of this important funding to ensure both rural and urban areas have the opportunity to make improvements.”
“Year after year, Indiana continues to be one of the top-rated states for infrastructure, and it’s thanks in large part to this successful initiative,” said State Rep. Matt Hostettler (R-Patoka). “Community Crossings is a great opportunity for local governments to get a jump-start on necessary road work and upcoming projects.”
To qualify for the competitive grant, smaller municipalities provide a 25 percent match in local funds, while larger communities provide a 50 percent match. State law requires 50 percent of the available matching funds be awarded annually to communities within counties with a population of 50,000 or fewer. Since 2016, Community Crossings has awarded more than $1.6 billion to improve local roads and bridges.
Visit in.gov/indot/communitycrossings and click on “Community Crossings Matching Grant” to learn more about the program.
POLITICS AND DIRTY TRICKS
FOOTNOTE: The City COUNTY-OBSERVER POSTED THIS PODCAST WITHOUT OPINION, BIAS OR EDITING.
Maintaining Fair Elections
Fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy, and Hoosiers have a right to know when candidates and campaigns are using artificial intelligence (AI).
A new law I supported requires that if campaigns use AI images, audio or video that is so realistic a reasonable person might not know they’re fake, they must label the content so voters know what’s real and what’s not.
Without these new guardrails in place, anyone could use AI to create lifelike videos or imitate someone’s voice in order to deceive Hoosiers in the upcoming elections. This new law requires campaigns using AI-generated content to include a disclaimer on their material.
I also supported a new law this year that helps election offices across the state make sure voters’ information is up to date and allow the state to more easily identify noncitizens who are registered illegally.
ACES SWEEP ILLINOIS STATE WITH 13-1 VICTORY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team launched four home runs on Sunday, and produced a pair of five-run innings, as the Purple Aces completed a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series sweep of the visiting Illinois State Redbirds with a 13-1 run-rule victory at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
“What a game! What a weekend! What a series for our ballclub!” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “It is really difficult to sweep in this conference, and I think that it really started on the mound today for us. What Shane Harris, Jace Kressin and Max Hansmann did today was pretty impressive, as they shut down a really good offense.
“Offensively, I thought that, top to bottom in our order, our guys were able to produce some great at-bats today. Harrison Taubert had the huge double to get us started in the third inning, and then obviously, his three-run home run was big, as it broke things open for us. But, I thought almost every player in the lineup today had a great approach, and hopefully, we can keep that rolling down the stretch.”
Harris cruised through the first three innings for UE on the mound, allowing just a lone single while retiring nine of the 10 men he faced with three strikeouts. Evansville would then give Harris (3-4) all of the run support he would need on the afternoon in the bottom of the third inning with two runs.
After a lead-off walk by senior shortstop Simon Scherry, junior outfielder Harrison Taubert roped a double to left field to put two men in scoring position with no one out. Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger delivered a sacrifice fly to deep right field to plate the game’s first run, before senior outfielder Kip Fougerousse had an RBI single to left-center field to give UE a 2-0 lead.
Taubert would break things open for UE in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he ignited a five-run frame with a three-run home run to right-center field to grow the lead to 5-0. Then, after a Shallenberger double and a ground out, graduate first baseman Chase Hug crushed a two-run home run to right field to take a 7-0 lead.
Fougerousse added an RBI single in the fifth inning to push the lead to 8-0. The Redbirds would scratch across a run in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly, before UE exploded for five more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to enact the mercy rule. Graduate third baseman Brent Widder and freshman second baseman Brodie Peart hit back-to-back home runs in the frame, while Fougerousse added another RBI single to help UE post its eighth victory in the last nine contests.
Fougerousse went a team-best 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Taubert, Peart, and Scherry all had two-hit games. All nine members of the UE starting lineup had hits in the contest. Harris earned the victory on the mound by tossing 5.0 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out four.
With the victory, Evansville moves into a tie for second place in the MVC standings with an 18-17 overall record and 7-5 MVC mark. Illinois State, meanwhile, falls to 18-15 overall and 7-5 in the Valley with the loss. Evansville will now hit the road for the next five games, beginning on Tuesday night at 5 p.m. central time as the Purple Aces will travel north to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. Tuesday’s game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS.