Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The University of Evansville softball team (6-18, 1-2) will open the gates of James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium for the second weekend in a row, this time hosting the Northern Iowa Panthers for the Aces’ second Missouri Valley Conference matchup of the season. The Aces will host a doubleheader with the Panthers Saturday before closing the series with a single game Sunday. Both days are set to begin at 12:00 CDT.

The Aces return to Cooper Stadium after splitting with Southeast Missouri State in Wednesday’s midweek doubleheader. In game one, junior Amy Gaertner sent a two-run home run over the fence in the top of the eighth inning to give UE the extra-inning win. Freshman Emily Morris picked up a win on the mound, throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. In game two, the Redhawks were able to shut out the Aces with a 9-0 win in five innings. Taylor Perry picked up her sixth hit of the season to represent the Aces’ only hit of the game.

Senior Jen Stahlhut leads UE’s offense with a .319 batting average and a team-high seven doubles on the season. In game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader, Stahlhut went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a run batted in.

Scouting the Panthers
Northern Iowa (14-13, 1-2 Missouri Valley)
The Panthers enter this weekend after dropping a pair of one-run games to Missouri State in last weekend’s Valley opener. Northern Iowa sits at just one game above .500 while bringing in a 1-6 record on the road.

The Panthers’ offense is led by Hannah Borschel, who ranks fourth in the Valley with a .383 batting average and is ranked second in the league with 31 hits this season. As a team, UNI owns a .279 batting average and has tallied 22 home runs this season. Courtney Dunker leads the Panthers with five homers and a .565 slugging percentage at the plate.

Jamie Fisher and Jaye Hutcheson share time in the circle for the Panthers. Fisher carries the second-best ERA in the league, averaging 1.72 runs a game in her 73.1 innings of work. Ranked second in the Valley with 89 batters struck out this season, Fisher leads the Panthers’ staff with an average of 8.52 strikeouts per game.