Game Notes • Game 1 Live Stats • Game 2 Live Stats
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Fresh off its first Missouri Valley Conference series win, the University of Evansville softball team will travel to Saint Louis Wednesday for a doubleheader with the Billikens. The midweek matchup will mark the final nonconference games of the season for the Aces. First pitch is slated for 3:00 CDT.
The Aces (9-28) are now 3-9 in the Valley after posting a 2-1 record against Indiana State last weekend. Evansville’s offense delivered two 11-hit games and hit .360 on the weekend to win the series against the Sycamores.
Sophomore Alicia Betancur was 3-for-9 on the weekend, collecting four RBI and belting her second home run of the season. Freshman Kacey Rogers also hit a homer against the Sycamores, extending her hitting streak to three games. Freshman hurler Taylor Perry picked up her first collegiate win and save during the weekend series, allowing just nine hits in 11 innings of work in the circle.
Senior Jen Stahlhut leads the UE offense and is ranked fifth in the Valley with a .346 batting average. Stahlhut and junior Amy Gaertner are both tied for third in the MVC with ten doubles so far this year. Stahlhut is just three doubles away from moving into third place in UE’s career record book. Gaertner leads the team with four home runs, and is just two away from breaking into the top five for career home runs at UE.
Senior Kelci Alsip brings a six-game hitting streak into the doubleheader. This week’s Vectren Student-Athlete of the Week, Alsip hit .400 at the plate in the last six games, tallying six runs, three RBI, two doubles and a triple. Alsip was also only one of two Purple Aces to notch hits in both games against No. 16 Missouri last Wednesday.
Scouting the Billikens:
Saint Louis University Billikens (22-17, 7-5 Atlantic 10)
The Billikens are most recently coming off a split against Dayton in last weekend’s Atlantic 10 matchup. SLU notched an 8-0 win over the Flyers in game one before dropping the nightcap 4-0.
As a team, SLU is hitting .260 with 54 doubles and 10 home runs. The Billikens’ lineup is led by Kristin Nicoletti, who paces the team with a .341 batting average and 57 total bases. Nicoletti is also a threat on the base paths, swiping 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts already this year. Alyson Brand leads the Billikens with 25 RBI while Kristain Burger has totaled a team-high four home runs.
The Billiken pitching staff owns a 3.11 ERA with 240 strikeouts in 256.2 innings pitched. Hannah Huebbe and Kelcie Matesa split nearly equal time on the mound. Huebbe carries a team-best 2.61 ERA into Wednesday, posting 85 strikeouts in her 102.0 innings of work. With an ERA of 2.79, Matesa comes in with 106 strikeouts in 98.0 innings in the circle.
