Aces drop finale to UL Monroe

 

MONROE, La. – Sunday’s finale of the Best on the Bayou Tournament saw the University of Evansville softball team drop a 9-1 contest to UL Monroe.

UL Monroe stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the first but rebounded with two runs in the second.  Evansville cut the deficit in half with some 2-out magic with Hannah Hood doubling to center before Keghan Pye brought her home after reaching on an error.

In the bottom of the fourth, Jacelyn Buck led off with a home run to center while Meagan Brown hit a bases clearing triple to highlight a 5-run inning that extended the lead to 7-1.  One inning later, the Warhawks completed the scoring as they tacked on two more runs while stranding the bases loaded.

As a team, ULM recorded nine hits while the Purple Aces were held to one hit.  Mikayla Jolly took the loss as she allowed seven runs in 3 1/3 innings.  Victoria Abrams earned the win, allowing one run in 4 1/3 frames.

Evansville will be in Charleston, S.C. next weekend for the Low Country Classic.

NEW ORLEANS, La. –  The University of New Orleans baseball team rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and plated a run in the tenth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to pick up a 3-2 victory over the visiting University of Evansville at Maestri Field in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“You have to credit New Orleans,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “They had some great pitching efforts on their side today to really quiet our bats at big times.  I thought that Nick Smith and Kenton Deverman did an outstanding job for us battling on the mound, but we just lost a close game today.

“We have to come out tomorrow and try and salvage a game in the series.  We have to be ready to go from the start tomorrow in all three phases of the game.”

Saturday’s game was a pitcher’s duel from the start.  Both teams would plate runs in the third inning, with UE getting its run first on an RBI single by junior second baseman Cal McGinnis in the top-half of the frame.

The game would remain tied at 1-1 until McGinnis’ next at-bat, when he doubled home junior outfielder Harrison Taubert with two outs in the fifth inning to give UE a 2-1 lead.

After senior starter Nick Smith went the first four innings allowing just a single run, freshman reliever Kenton Deverman took over and retired eight of the first nine men he faced in order, and would keep the Privateers at bay.

Evansville would put men on base in every inning from the fifth inning-on, including putting two men on in the top of the ninth inning, but the Purple Aces could not add to the lead.  UNO then finally broke through in the ninth inning against Deverman on a lead-off double by catcher Miguel Useche and an RBI single by outfielder Mitchell Sanford, who has been a thorn in the side of the Purple Aces all weekend, going 6-for-8 with six RBI in the first two games of the series.

Tied at 2-2 in the tenth inning, Evansville got a two-out pinch-hit single by freshman Kaleb Wilkey, but went scoreless to begin extra-innings.  The Privateers, meanwhile, took advantage of a pair of hit-by-pitches and a walk to load the bases, and won the game on a sacrifice fly off the bat of first baseman Maika Niu to win the game.

McGinnis went 2-for-5 with two RBI to lead the UE attack, which out-hit UNO, 8-6.  Useche and Sanford combined for four of the Privateers’ six hits on the day.

The three-game series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.  Freshman LHP Kevin Reed is expected to start on Sunday for Evansville in a game that can be seen live on ESPN+.