Ohio Valley Conference

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood softball (10-11, 1-2 OVC) drops two defensive games against the Purple Aces of Evansville (14-11, 0-0 MVC) by final scores of 3-1 and 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. After posting six hits in game one, the Lions were limited on offense in game two combining for just three hits as a team.

Wednesday's double header started off with a 3-1 loss against Evansville as the Purple Aces scored all three runs in the top of the first inning. Samantha Roulanaitis (L, 1-3) suffered the loss on the mound after throwing 5.0 innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four. Avery Wapp came in relief throwing the final two innings while striking out five of her six batters faced.

Anna Sanders went 2-3 at the plate including a triple to right field. Nicole Henson also had a triple in the game and scored a run while Teryn Brown added the lone RBI. Lindenwood finished with a team stat line of one run on six hits with no errors while Evansville had three runs on six hits with no errors.

It was a quick start for the Purple Aces in the top of the first inning. After Roulanitis started the inning with a walk and double, Jess Willsey for Evansville launched a three-run home run to left field to put the Purple Aces up 3-0.

Lindenwood's offense was quiet early on but got it going in the bottom of the fourth after Sanders' triple but the Lions could not bring her home. It was an inning later when Brown grounded out to second base but Henson scored from third to get the Lions on the board. In the bottom of the seventh, LU had three straight groundouts to end game one.

Both team combined for just seven hits in the second game, but Evansville was able to escape St. Charles with a 2-1 victory. Starting pitcher Avery Wapp (ND) threw 4.1 innings allowing one run on two hits with five strikeouts. Ryleigh Owens (L, 4-4) came in relief for the Lions surrendering the game-winning run in the fifth. She allowed one run on two hits.

Lindenwood was held without a hit until the bottom of the third inning when Dallis Darnell singled through the left side. Evansville struck first in the fourth going up 1-0. After Wapp allowed a double, Owens came in relief as they had a sac fly to left field to give them the lead. LU struck back in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by Tori Hatton to bring home Sanders.

The game's 1-1 tied was broken in the top of the fifth after an RBI pinch hit double by Bode scored the game-winning run for Evansville. Lindenwood was held without a hit for the final three innings as they dropped to 10-11 on the season.

SAINT LOUIS 8, WESTERN ILLINOIS 5
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois Softball (6-14) jumped out to an early lead but couldn't hold off a late surge from Saint Louis (9-13), falling 8-5 at Mary Ellen McKee Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The Leathernecks came out strong, plating four runs in the first inning, capitalizing on early control struggles from Saint Louis pitching. Ruby Tarr delivered a key two-run single with the bases loaded, while Payton Brown and Lillie Wools each chipped in RBI singles to give WIU an early 4-0 lead.

However, after that explosive opening frame, WIU's offense stalled. The Leathernecks managed only one hit the rest of the game, struggling to find timely hitting against Saint Louis' bullpen.

In the top of the third, Saint Louis responded with a four-run inning and added insurance with a three-run sixth. WIU tried to mount a comeback in the seventh when Maria Luna and Ruby Tarr had back-to-back two-out walks. Lillie Wools would then single to left center the next at bat to score pinch runner Kaelyn Walters to cut the Saint Louis lead to 8-5. However, the comeback would fall short as Beth Pavy would foul out to first base to end the game.

On the mound, WIU used three pitchers. Audrey Clark started the game for the Leathernecks and was tagged for four runs in the third inning and finished with three innings pitched striking out one. Libby Spaulding pitched 2.1 innings out of the bullpen, giving up three runs (2 earned) and getting one strikeout. Lillie Wools kept the Leathernecks in the game by pitching 1.2 innings striking out two batters to keep the damage at a minimum for the SLU offense. 

Despite the loss, WIU showed promise with their aggressive baserunning, swiping two bags, and their ability to capitalize on early scoring chances.

TENNESSEE STATE 10, BUCKNELL 2 (6)
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State softball team mercied Bucknell in six innings 10-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Field. 

K. Holder (1-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Tennessee State (11-7). The right-hander went two shutout innings without giving up a hit. R. Castillo started the ballgame and went three shutout innings without allowing a hit.

Offensively, the Tigers were led by A. Woods, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a triple and two RBI. A. Baker-Row put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. J. McDaniel also helped out for Tennessee State, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a double and two RBI.

The Tigers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. O. Spencer came across to score the lone run of the inning for Tennessee State and get them on the board.

The Tigers then held the Bison scoreless before expanding their lead in the fifth inning. The Tennessee State offense exploded for six runs, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of McDaniel, which brought the Tigers lead to 7-0.

Bucknell narrowed Tennessee State's lead to 7-2 before the Tigers stretched the advantage to 10-2 in the sixth inning. The score remained 10-2 for the rest of the game, as Tennessee State coasted to the win.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 13, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 0 (5)
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Gracie Luna went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, two runs scored and tied a career-high four RBI to lead Southeast Missouri (9-9) to a dominating 13-0 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-14) Wednesday.
 
SEMO scored eight runs in the second inning to key its ninth win of the season.
 
Ahead, 1-0, Luna led off the top of the second with an infield single and went to second on a Hailey Burnett base hit. Kinley Wilkins walked to load the bases and Sophie Schupp reached on a throwing error allowing Luna to score.
 
Madison Winkler reached on a fielder's choice to score Burnett before Tatum Gerwitz knocked in Wilkins and Sydney Dennis brought in two more runs on a single. Luna then stepped in for the second time in the inning and drove her second home run of the season over the left field wall putting the Redhawks ahead, 9-0.
 
SEMO added two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings to put the finishing touches on its run-rule win.
 
Taryn Coon singled for her first career hit that scored Mary Tutwiler and Schupp delivered a RBI-hit in the fourth.
 
In the fifth inning, Luna and Burnett each had run-scoring singles to end the 13-0 shutout.
 
SEMO's 13-run win marked its largest of the season and second by double-digits in 2025.
 
The Redhawks outhit UAPB, 14-6, with Luna and Burnett turning in three hits apiece. The two combined for four runs and five RBI, as well.
 
Gerwitz and Coon followed with two hits, while Dennis, Brooklyn Saysoff, Tutwiler and Schupp recorded one. Tutwiler picked up her first career hit, and Dennis extended her hitting streak to 14 games, the longest of any Redhawk since Kynzie Wrigley hit safely in 15 consecutive games during the 2021 campaign.
 
Willow Van Haren (2-0) went the distance in her first career shutout. Van Haren allowed six hits, walked just one and struck out three in five innings.

INDIANA 6, SOUTHERN INDIANA 5
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Softball jumped out to a 5-1 lead on the road against Indiana University on Wednesday afternoon, but a big sixth-inning rally by the Hoosiers propelled Indiana to a 6-5 win.
 
Senior pitcher Josie Newman got the start for Southern Indiana (4-14) and worked around a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first inning. After stranding three Hoosiers (19-5) in the first, USI struck first in the top of the second. Following two hits and a walk to load the bases, freshman catcher Jordan Mackey shot one to the left-center alley for a two-RBI double to put USI ahead early, 2-0.
 
Newman and the Screaming Eagles danced around another bases-loaded situation in the home half of the fourth inning, tallying back-to-back strikeouts to keep a 2-0 lead.
 
Southern Indiana posted a third run in the top of the fifth. After a one-out single by junior outfielder Caroline Stapleton, senior third baseman Whitley Hunter brought Stapleton home on a two-out double to give USI the 3-0 advantage. IU got the run back with a sac fly in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 3-1 USI going to the sixth inning.
 
In the sixth frame, an RBI knock by Mackey and another run off an IU error increased the Eagles' lead to four, 5-1. However, the Hoosiers got the bats rolling in the bottom of the sixth, scoring five runs with four coming home on a grand slam to catapult IU ahead, 6-5. USI could not overcome the IU rally, going 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to end the game.
 
Southern Indiana totaled eight hits toward its five runs. Seven of USI's starting offensive nine tallied a hit. Mackey led the offense with two hits and three RBIs. Freshman first baseman Lilly Brown had a hit with two runs and fellow freshman Grace Huffman recorded a hit and a run. In the pitching circle, Newman (3-8) went the distance for the seventh time this season, striking out four in the tough loss.
 
For Indiana, the Hoosiers finished with nine hits. Freshman starting pitcher Jenae Berry did not factor into the decision, lasting only an inning with two runs allowed. Freshman pitcher Jasmine Reyes pitched the middle innings, going 4.1 innings of work with three runs surrendered – two earned – and four strikeouts. Senior utility Brianna Copeland (4-2) finished the last 1.2 innings scoreless to record the win.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY 4, MOREHEAD STATE 0
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Recap coming soon.