The 2017 regular season officially comes to an end this weekend as the University of Evansville softball team travels to Wichita State for a 3-game set. Saturday begins with a noon doubleheader before Sunday’s final matchup begins at 11 a.m.
Weather limited the Purple Aces and Redbirds to just two games over Senior Weekend at Cooper Stadium. Illinois State took both ends of the doubleheader on Saturday, earning an 18-0 win to start the day before finishing with a 10-1 victory. UE now sits at 20-29 overall and 11-12 in the MVC and is 5th in the league entering the final weekend of the regular season.
Despite giving up four earned runs against Illinois State, Morgan Florey continues to rank third in the MVC with a 1.91 ERA. Her tally of 178 strikeouts continues to lead the league as she is 35 ahead of her nearest competition. The sophomore has gone the distance in 14 of her last 17 outings while winning 14 games on the season.
The career season for senior Hayli Scott continues as she leads the way for the Aces with a .321 batting average. She has notched 19 RBI and 16 walks. In MVC outings, she has seen her average go up to .356.
Last year in Evansville, the Aces took two out of three from Wichita State to clinch their first conference series win since 2013. After dropping game one of the series, UE trailed 4-0 in game two. That is where Morgan Lambert had the biggest hit of her career, hitting a grand slam to tie the game before Hayli Scott hit the game-winner in a 5-4 win. Morgan Florey helped to clinch the rubber match in the series, picking up the win in the circle as UE took a 3-2 victory.
UE starts the weekend at 11-12 in league play with Wichita State sitting at 13-9 in the MVC and 28-19 overall. Â With a 3-game series sweep, the Purple Aces would clinch the fourth spot in the conference.
Mackenzie Wright and Kelli Spring lead the Shockers with batting averages of .378 and .374, respectively. Wright has a team-high 12 doubles and is second on the team with 34 RBI. Spring paces the team with 38 runs scored. Laurie Derrico paces the Shockers with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. In the circle, Katie Malone has won 22 games while checking in with a 2.33 ERA.
