EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Tennis (1-3) began the weekend with a 6-1 loss to Western Kentucky University (3-3) Saturday evening at the Evansville Tennis Center.
 
Doubles: The Screaming Eagles put up a fight but lost the doubles decision. Junior Madison Windham (Clarksville, Tennessee)/senior Rachel McCorkle (Tulsa, Oklahoma) partners came up just short at number three with a 6-3 loss.
 
Singles: USI picked up a win in singles play after freshman Antonia Ferrarini (Caxias do Sul, Brazil) secured the 7-5, 6-1 victory at number three for her second career singles win.
 

BOSTON, Mass. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field had two meets this weekend between the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale, Michigan, and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Massachusetts.
 
At the GVSU Big Meet, all five Eagles who competed in the 5,000 meters earned a personal best. Freshman Alex Nolan (Evansville, Indiana) paved the way with a time of 14 minutes and 54.76 seconds to earn sixth place in his heat. In heat number five, it was freshman Landen Swiney (Du Quoin, Illinois) who set the tone for USI with a ninth-place finish and a time of 15:15.29. Right behind him was freshman Tyler Zimmerman (Evansville, Indiana) after crossing the line in 15:26.86 to finish in 15th place while freshman Mukal Verma (Palatine, Illinois) finished the race in 15:54.42 to place 24th. Senior Draven Thompson (Huntertown, Indiana) closed out the day with a 15:18.78 time and an 11th-place finish in heat seven.
 
In Boston, senior Mitchell Hopf (Santa Claus, Indiana) shattered his 5,000-meter personal record with a time of 14:19.38 to cross the line in 21st place in the unseeded event. Freshman Cole Hess (Cannelton, Indiana) beat out his previous personal-best time in the mile with a time of 4:15.89. Senior Noah Hufnagel (Santa Claus, Indiana) rounded out the Eagle runners by making a top-100 finish with a time of 14:10.35.

Aces drop 73-70 road game

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With the score tied at 70-70 in the final seconds, Murray State hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to clinch a 73-70 victory over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team inside the CFSB Center.

“I’m proud of the way our guys fought today in a hostile environment.  We kept clawing away at the deficit and gave ourselves a chance to win,” UE head coach David Ragland said.  “Unfortunately, Murray State made one more play at the end than we did.  We will learn from today and be ready for Drake on Tuesday.”

Four Purple Aces finished in double figures with Tanner Cuff leading the way with 15.  He was 4-for-5 from the field.  Kenny Strawbridge Jr. and Ben Humrichous recorded 14 apiece.  Strawbridge added 10 boards on the way to a double-double.  Chuck Bailey III scored 10.

Ben Humrichous gave UE the perfect start, hitting a triple on the first possession.  Murray State countered with nine in a row to take their first lead before Evansville stormed back with a rally of its own.  Josh Hughes hit a jumper before Gage Bobe converted a 3-pointer.  Kenny Strawbridge capped the run with a field goal to make it a 10-9 game at the 14:55 mark.

MSU quickly retook the lead on a triple and the squads would swap the lead numerous times in the ensuing minutes.  With the game knotted at 16-16, the Racers went on an 11-2 run to take their largest advantage at 27-18 approaching the final six minutes.  The lead for Murray remained between five and eight points over the remainder of the half.

With the seconds winding down, Kenny Strawbridge Jr. connected on a triple at the buzzer to make it a 32-27 game at the break.

Humrichous got things going right out of the gate.  Following a Racers basket, he drained consecutive triples to cut the deficit to just one at 34-33.  Murray State retook control over the next four minutes, retaking a 9-point lead at 46-37.  Evansville continued to chip away as a Tanner Cuff 3-pointer got UE within a possession at 48-45 with 11:25 remaining.

Evansville got back within four on a few occasions but was finally able to get closer entering the final three minutes.  Another three by Humrichous made it a 68-65 game and a Cuff free throw made it a 2-point game.  With 2:05 left, Yacine Toumi drained a pair of free throws to cut the Racer lead to one at 69-68.

It was Toumi coming through once again less than a minute later as his second-chance basket tied the game at 70-70.  Unfortunately, MSU came through with a triple at the buzzer to take the win.  The Racers shot 49.2% on the day with UE finishing at 45.8%.

BOSTON, Mass. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Track & Field split the weekend slate between the GVSU Big Meet in Allendale, Michigan, and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Massachusetts where five Screaming Eagles earned personal-best times.
 
In Michigan, junior Katie Winkler (Santa Claus, Indiana) picked up a personal-best time of 18 minutes and 11.75 seconds in the 5,000 meters to place 12th within her heat. Also putting up a personal best in the 5,000 meters was freshman Sara Livingston (Jasper, Indiana) with a time of 18:40.55 to earn 13th place in heat five.
 
In the New England area, freshman Zoe Seward (Rochester, Indiana) produced a top-25 finish in the 5,000 meters with a personal-best time of 17:27.30. Junior Kati Hoerig (Prospect, Kentucky) also nabbed a personal best in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:00.00. Closing out the personal records for the Eagles was sophomore Emily Rempe (Owensboro, Kentucky) who finished the mile with a time of 5:02.51.

Aces face Miami Ohio in weekend finale

ELON, N.C. – Day two of the Elon Softball Classic saw the University of Evansville softball team put up a fight in a pair of games against Kent State and Elon.

Game 1 – Kent State 5, UE 4

Evansville had the upper hand in the early innings posting single runs in the second through fourth innings.  Brooke Voss and Alexa Davis singled to lead off the frame with both advancing on a sacrifice from Hannah Hood.  Taylor Howe followed with a sacrifice fly to bring in Voss for the first run of the game.

Marah Wood led off the third with a solo homer to double the lead before Alexa Davis made it a 3-0 game in the top half of the fourth.  She hit a 1-out triple before scoring on a wild pitch.  After building the advantage, UE saw the tides turn in an instance.  In the bottom of the fourth, KSU plated three runs with Megan Claerhout notching a 2-run single to tie the game.  The Golden Flashes added another run to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth.

It was Davis picking up the tying hit in the sixth.  Her 2-out single plated Jenna Nink, who doubled earlier in the inning.  Things remained tied until the bottom of the 7^th.  An RBI single with two outs sealed the win for Kent State.

KSU had 10 hits in the game with Emily Lippe posting three.  Davis was a perfect 3-for-3 for the Aces as they tallied eight hits in the contest.  Elle Jarrett made the start, allowing three runs in 3 1/3 innings.  Megan Brenton suffered the loss, giving up two runs in 3 1/3 frames.  Megan Nuechterlein earned the win, allowing one run on three hits in the final three innings.

Game 2 – Elon 5, UE 4

Just as they had done in Saturday’s opener, Evansville grabbed the early lead.  A single from Wood and walks from Zoe Frossard and Brooke Voss loaded the bases for Jess Willsey, who singled to right to open the scoring.

Frossard doubled the lead in the second, singling down the left field line to bring in Keghan Pye, who walked with one out.  Elon posted single runs in the bottom of the second and third and the game remained tied until the top of the 6^th.  Voss came through with a 2-out RBI single to put UE back in front.

That lead was short-lived as the Phoenix countered with a run in the bottom of the frame.  The game went into extra innings with UE breaking through first.  In the top half of the 8^th, Frossard hit a sacrifice fly to score Hannah Hood.  Unfortunately, Elon came back once again as a Allee Seering 2-run home run clinched a 5-4 win for the Phoenix.  Seering had three of Elon’s seven hits while Wood, Frossard and Jess Willsey registered two hits apiece for Evansville.

Mikayla Jolly made the start, tossing six innings with three runs, two earned, crossing the plate.  Gracie Hollingsworth threw the final frame and suffered the loss.  McKenna McCard picked up the win, throwing a scoreless 2/3 of an inning.

The Aces wrap up the opening weekend on Sunday with an 11 a.m. CT game versus Miami Ohio.

Three players end the night in double-figures for the Purple Aces

CHICAGO – A cold fourth quarter kept the University of Evansville women’s basketball team from capitalizing on a late lead in its 65-57 loss to the UIC Flames.

The Purple Aces led going into the final frame of Friday night’s game at Credit Union 1 Arena. But an almost four-minute scoreless streak put the Flames ahead to take the season series. Despite struggling with foul trouble down the stretch, UE had three players in double-figures while freshman forward Nevaeh Thomas picked up her second double-double of the season.

Evansville played from behind to start Friday’s contest. Facing a seven-point deficit only four minutes into the game, the Aces rallied behind point guards Kynidi Mason Striverson and Tené Smith to get within one at the 4:14 mark. The two teams traded shots until the final minute of the first quarter. Five straight points for UIC made it 24-19 going into the second frame.

It was all defense for UE in the second quarter as they kept the Flames to a lone field goal. But foul trouble began for the Aces with its starting forwards Maggie Hartwig and Thomas picking up one each. The free throws put UIC ahead by 11 but spurred a six-point run from Evansville. UE’s last basket of the first half came with under three minutes leading to a nine-point deficit to start the second half.

The Aces had their best quarter of the night in the third, shooting 61.5% from the floor. It was a back-and-forth start to the second half including two runs for either team. Evansville gained momentum in the final five minutes of the quarter. The Aces didn’t allow a shot to be made by the Flames in that stretch while going a hot four of six. A three from Hartwig with 39 seconds left in the third gave UE its only lead of the game at 47-46.

But UIC responded early in the fourth quarter, drawing two quick fouls to retake the lead. Evansville didn’t find the basket again until almost four minutes into the quarter thanks to a foul drawn by guard Julia Palomo. Over the next four and a half minutes, the Aces got it back within three on a Hartwig trey and a free throw from guard Lexie Sinclair. But the Flames closed out the game on a six-to-one run while drawing fouls that took Mason Striverson, Hartwig, and Smith out of the game for the 65-57 loss.

Thomas led the team on defense with 10 rebounds and added her double-double with 15 points on the floor. Mason Striverson led the team on offense with 17 while Hartwig also made it into double-digits with 11 points. Three players recorded a steal each while Thomas and guard Madline Gerke picked up the two blocks of the game.

The Aces head to Valparaiso for a Sunday afternoon clash at the ARC. Tip-off against the Beacons is set for 1 p.m.

Evansville, In.:  Behind outstanding goaltending from Brendahn Brawley and clutch goal scoring from Brendan Harrogate and Brady Lynn, the Thunderbolts defeated the 1^st-Place Birmingham Bulls for the second time in as many weeks, 2-1 at Ford Center on Friday night.   The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Wednesday, February 14^th against the Quad City Storm, puck drop at 7:00pm CT.

Evansville grabbed an early 1-0 lead as Harrogate scored by redirecting a shot from the blue line into the net, assisted by Matthew Hobbs and Dmitri Yushkevich at 7:40.  The Bulls managed to tie the game as MacGregor Sinclair was able to just barely work a loose puck into the Evansville net at 17:01, tying the game at 1-1.  Despite being outshot in the second period 15-7, the Thunderbolts held the Bulls, who hold the league’s best second period goal differential, scoreless.  After a high-tempo start to the third period, the Thunderbolts converted on a double-minor power play as Lynn scored at 10:31 from Mark Zhukov and Harrogate to put Evansville back ahead 2-1.  The Bulls pulled goaltender Hayden Stewart late, but could not find the tying goal and the Thunderbolts emerged victorious once again on home ice.

Harrogate finished with one goal and one assist while Lynn scored the game-winning goal.  In net, Brendahn Brawley finished with 31 saves on 32 shots faced for his 8^th win of the season and his 2^nd win with Evansville.  The Thunderbolts and Bulls meet again on Saturday, February 10^th at Pelham Civic Complex.

UE drops games to Miami Ohio and Kent State

ELON, N.C. – Opening the 2024 season, the University of Evansville softball team faced Miami Ohio and Kent State at the Elon Softball Classic.

Game 1 – Miami Ohio 12, UE 0

Belting three home runs in the first two innings, Miami Ohio pulled away to take a 12-0 victory in Friday’s season opener.

Miami jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first with back-to-back solo shots.  In Evansville’s half of the first, Zoe Frossard drew a 1-out walk but was stranded at first as the game headed into the second.  The RedHawks wasted little time in adding to their lead as Jenna Golembiewski sent the first pitch she saw out of the park to make it a 3-0 game.  The RedHawks tacked on two more runs to extend the lead to 5-0.

Evansville had its first scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with two outs.  Hannah Hood and Taylor Howe reached on walks while Brooke McCorkle reached on an error.  A foul out ended the threat.  UE had another opportunity in the bottom of the sixth when Marah Wood drew a 1-out walk before Jess Willsey followed with a single.  Unfortunately, a strikeout and foul out kept the Aces off the board.

In the seventh, Miami broke through with seven runs to put the game out of reach.  Maddi Banks led MU with three RBI as the RedHawks erupted for 10 hits.  Addy Jarvis earned the win, tossing a complete game, 2-hit shutout.  Gracie Hollingsworth made the start, allowing three runs on five hits in 1 1/3 frames.  Elle Jarrett threw the final 5 2/3 innings of relief; the first 4 2/3 frames saw her hold MU scoreless.  In the seventh, Miami scored seven runs, however, none of those were earned.

Game 2 – Kent State 10, UE 1

Scoring five runs in the second and five more in the sixth, Kent State took a 10-1 win in Friday’s second game.  Evansville broke through in the bottom of the first with Alexa Davis doing a perfect job on the basepaths.  After reaching on a leadoff walk, Davis stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice by Zoe Frossard, and crossed the plate when Marah Wood singled to center.

The Golden Flashes countered with a 5-run second that saw Julia Mazanec hit a 3-run home run to get KSU on the board.  Savannah Wing added a 2-run single to cap the inning.

UE had a few chances in the middle innings.  Brooke Voss reached on a single in the second while Jenna Nink and Frossard walks in the fourth.  Keghan Pye reached base on a bunt single in the 5^th, but the Aces could not push any of those runs across the plate.  Kent State put the finishing touch on the game with a 5-run sixth as they finished with the 10-1 victory.

Four different players recorded the hits for UE while Kent State erupted for 10 hits, three coming off the bat of Alexandria Whitmore.  Macy Irelan three four innings to earn the win for KSU.  She gave up one run on four hits.  Mikayla Jolly went five innings and allowed five runs, three earned.  Megan Brenton threw in the sixth innings and saw five runs score, four of those being earned.

On Saturday, UE opens with a rematch against Kent State at 8:30 a.m. CT before facing Elon at 11 a.m. CT.