Aces drop close 4-1 contest

NORMAL, Ill. – Lacy Smith and Jess Willsey recorded two hits apiece, but the Illinois State defense turned three doubles players on their way to a 4-1 win over the University of Evansville softball team on Sunday afternoon at Marian Kneer Stadium.

Jess Willsey picked up the first hit of the game in the top of the second with a double play later ending the threat.  Illinois State countered in the bottom of the frame with the first run of the game scoring on an RBI groundout.  Two sacrifice flies by ISU pushed the lead to 3-0 as the third inning came to a close.

Brooke Voss added a single in the top half of the fourth before the Redbirds plated the fourth run of the game on a single in the bottom of the inning.

With one out in the fifth, Lacy Smith hit a home run to left field to get Evansville on the board.  Zoe Frossard, who reached on a walk earlier in the game, added a hit as UE worked to get closer in the fifth.

Still trailing by a 4-1 score, UE made a late rally with Hannah Hood and Smith leading off with singles.  A double play got the Redbirds back on track and they recorded the final out to take the win.

The pitching staff for the Purple Aces had a solid day.  Sydney Weatherford, Mikayla Jolly and Megan Brenton tossed two innings apiece.  Weatherford allowed one run on two hits while Brenton threw a scoreless final two frames.  Paige McLeod allowed one run on eight hits in the complete game for ISU.

UE is set for the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, which opens on Wednesday in Normal, Ill.

MACOMB, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Softball showcased a 9-1 offensive surge in the series opener at Western Illinois University on Saturday before the Leathernecks answered with a 6-3 victory in the afternoon to force a doubleheader split.
 
In Saturday’s series-opening victory, Southern Indiana’s offense picked up where it left off from last Sunday’s win against Tennessee State, posting a season-high 12 hits for the second consecutive game.
 
Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) did not miss a beat from her six-RBI performance last Sunday. The USI backstop led off the top of the second inning on Saturday with a solo home run, her fifth of the season. Later in the second, junior outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) doubled USI’s lead to 2-0 with an RBI single the opposite way.
 
Western Illinois got a run back in the home half of the second inning, but the Screaming Eagles answered in the fourth inning and poured it on with seven runs. Nalley started the fourth-inning scoring with a solo shot for her first home run this season. An RBI knock and a bases-loaded walk pushed Southern Indiana’s advantage up to 5-1. Then USI tacked on to its lead with three straight RBI hits by freshman infielder Sydney Long (Haubstadt, Indiana), junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana), and freshman designated player Kate Satkoski (Lanesville, Indiana). Satkoski’s hit went for two RBIs and increased the score to a 9-1 USI lead.
 
Newman finished the game 1 win with a shutout fifth inning to pick up her 18^th win, striking out four and allowing one run in five innings. On the other side, Western Illinois freshman pitcher Lillie Wools dropped to 3-11 with the loss, tossing 3.1 innings.
 
In the afternoon cap, Western Illinois scored first with a run in the second inning and then added four runs across three hits in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead through three.
 
Southern Indiana got into the run column in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI hit up the middle by freshman third baseman Shelby Stivers (Louisville, Kentucky) to get within four of Western Illinois, 5-1.
 
The Leathernecks built a 6-1 lead heading into the seventh inning. The Screaming Eagles tried to string together a rally, scoring a pair of two-out runs on RBI hits by Kihega and Long, but Western Illinois halted the momentum to force a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon.
 
Western Illinois narrowly outhit Southern Indiana in the second contest, 9-8. Kihega and Long led USI with two hits and an RBI each.
 
In the pitching circle, WIU senior pitcher Emily Price moved to 9-18 this season, hurling a complete game toward the win. USI sophomore pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) was charged with the loss, going to 1-4 on the season, after 2.2 innings of work and allowing five runs – three earned – with a couple of strikeouts. Junior pitcher Whitley Hunter (Nashville, Illinois) went 3.1 innings in relief, giving up only one run with three strikeouts.
 
Following Saturday’s doubleheader, Southern Indiana moved to 21-20 overall and 15-11 in conference play. USI has already clinched its spot in next week’s Ohio Valley Conference tournament and will be a middle seed to start play on Wednesday. Western Illinois moved to 16-33 overall and 5-21 in the OVC through Saturday and was previously eliminated from postseason contention.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team closed out the home portion of their regular season at Jerry Blemker Field Saturday afternoon, dropping the first two games of their Mid-West Athletic Conference series to Parkland College 6-0 and 4-0.

Parkland broke open the scoring on the day in game one with a run in the second inning.

Vincennes managed to get a lead-off single by sophomore Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.) in the first and a one-out single by sophomore Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.) in the second but were unable to move those runners into scoring position.

VU looked to be in a good spot in the fourth after a lead-off double by sophomore Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.) but were unable to advance the runner past second base.

Parkland added on to their lead in the fifth to take a 2-0 lead over the Blazers, before VU again looked to be able to break onto the scoreboard with a leadoff single by sophomore Brandon Juarez (Evansville, Ind.) and a walk by sophomore Kade Hinton in the fifth but again came up empty.

Parkland would add some late insurance runs by plating four runs in the seventh before Vincennes had another good opportunity to cut into the deficit in the eighth.

VU loaded the bases with only one out after Blake Heyerly was hit by pitch, freshman Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.) got a single and Trevor Newman walked to load the bases.

The Trailblazers continued to have a tough time breaking onto the scoreboard, getting a runner in scoring position in five straight innings but ultimately coming up with a zero in the run column.

Parkland would close out the game to pick up the game one victory over the Trailblazers 6-0.

Freshman Carson Allen (Louisville, Ky.) got the start in game one and had to exit early after just three and two-thirds innings due to injury. Allen had only surrendered one run on one hit and struck out one before exiting in the fourth inning.

Allen handed the game over to sophomore Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) out of the bullpen and McCormick made an immediate impact, getting out of the fourth inning with just a single pitch.

McCormick would go on to throw three and one third innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out four.

Freshman Colton Okes (Evansville, Ind.) came in to pitch the final two innings for the Trailblazers, allowing just a single hit in two shutout innings of work.

“Our hitting still has to step up and we just didn’t get it done,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “Their pitching was really good and we couldn’t sustain anything against them offensively.”

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored six times in the eighth inning to defeat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 11-6, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles are 21-26 overall and 10-10 OVC, while Cougars go to 18-27-1, 10-10 OVC.
 
USI reaches the .500 mark at 10-10 in the OVC and moves to within two games of conference-leading Morehead State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, which are 12-8 in the league. The Eagles, who are tied for fifth in the OVC, also have won four of the last five games and five of the last seven.
 
USI struck for a run in the second to lead 1-0 when junior leftfielder Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri) scored on a RBI-single by junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa). SIUE rebounded to take the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third and the 2-1 lead.
 
Eagles’ senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) crossed the plate with the tying run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) after USI loaded the bases with three-straight walks. The Cougars clawed their way back into the lead in the top of the fourth, 3-2, and extended the margin, 4-2, with another single tally in the top of the fifth.
 
USI regained the upper hand in the bottom of the sixth when it plated a trio of runs for a 5-4 advantage. Junior second baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) knotted the score by lacing a two-triple down the left field line before crossing the plate with the lead run on a RBI-single by junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela).
 
After SIUE tied the game, 5-5, in the top of the eighth, USI exploded for six runs in the bottom half of the frame for the margin of victory. USI junior pinch runner Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky) crossed the plate to put the Eagles back into the lead for good when Van Grieken was credited with a sacrifice fly and reached on a dropped fly ball.
 
Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) drove in the eventual game-winning tally with a ground out to make the score, 7-5, while Ellis sealed the victory with a two-run single to put the Eagles up, 9-5. Niehaus and Thompson-Allen would knock in the final two runs in the inning to increase the advantage to 11-5.
 
SIUE loaded the bases in the ninth, but were only able to push one more run across before USI senior right-hander Carter Stamm (Jasper, Indiana) shut the door on the 11-6 win.
 
Tachioka had a pair of hits and increased his hitting streak to 10 games, while Thompson-Allen posted his team-best 21^st multi-hit game with a pair of singles.
 
On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana) picked up the win in relief. Morris (4-4) allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits, while striking out three in four innings.
 
Junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana) started and got a no-decision. Seebold went the first four innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits and three walks.