Week 2 Game Notes
 
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Coming off an undefeated weekend in its season opener against Alcorn State, the University of Evansville softball team (2-0) will make its home debut this weekend as it hosts Detroit, Butler and UMKC in the UE Tournament at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium. Marking the first time UE has hosted a tournament since 2006, the round-robin invitational will feature eight games over Saturday and Sunday. The Aces will are first scheduled to take on Detroit at 2:30 CST on Saturday.
 
The Aces posted a team batting average of .526 in their first outing of the year, notching 22 hits and outscoring their opponent 23-1. Sophomore Niki Rahming led the team with her 4-for-6 performance at the plate, posting a .833 slugging percentage with an RBI and two runs scored. Junior Alicia Betancur ended the day with a team-high four RBI while senior Amy Gaertner scored four of the Aces’ 23 runs.
 
The right-handed junior due of Kendall Kautz and Sarah Patterson were lights out on the mound, posting a combined ERA of 0.64 while holding the Braves to a .158 average at the plate.  Patterson got the nod in game one, hurling a one-hit shutout in her first appearance as a Purple Ace. The transfer from Central Michigan tallied seven strikeouts and walked none in six innings pitched to secure the win. Kautz followed with a five-inning outing in game two, collecting three strikeouts and scattering five hits in nightcap.
 
Fans can follow all of the tournament action by clicking here for live stats or by following both  UE Athletics  as well as UE Softball on Twitter for  score updates.

Tournament Schedule (game times subject to delays)
Saturday, Feb. 25
10:30 AM – Butler vs. Detroit
12:30 PM – Butler vs. UMKC
2:30 PM – UE vs. Detroit
4:30 PM – UE vs. UMKC
 
Sunday, Feb. 26
9:30 AM – Detroit vs. UMKC
11:30 AM – UE vs. Detroit
1:30 PM – Butler vs. UMKC
3:30 PM – UE vs. Butler
 
 
Scouting the Opponents:
UMKC (2-4, 0-0 Summit League)
UMKC  comes to Evansville after opening the 2012 season with a 2-4 showing at the 2012 Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic, hosted by Hawaii. The Kangaroos posted a pair of one-run wins against Seattle to advance to the championship game before losing a 1-0 contest against the host Wahine.
 
The Roos own a team batting average of .224 and are currently averaging 1.67 runs per game. Kaelene Curry leads the lineup, batting .412 with seven hits and two runs scored. Behind Curry is Emily Ott, who has gone 5-for-14 at the plate so far with a team-high three RBI. Pitching pair Cinda Ramos and Deanna Friese split time on the mound, combining for a 3.83 ERA. Friese, who was named this week Summit League Pitcher of the Week, leads the staff with 22 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.
 
Detroit Mercy (0-3, 0-0 Horizon League)
The Titans enter this weekend on the hunt for their first win after posting an 0-3 record at the SC Upstate Tournament on February 10-11. Detroit ended the tournaments with pair of run-rule losses to South Caroline and Ohio as well as a 6-3 loss to St. Bonaventure.
 
The Titan’s offense is led by Vanessa Garcia, who owns a .556 average in the box with a team-high five hits. Sara Cupp leads Detroit ‘s run production, tallying three of the Titan’s seven RB I. In the circle, Julia Maksym has seen the most action of all the Titan’s pitchers, tossing 10.1 innings so far. Maksym currently holds a 10.45 ERA with four strikeouts. As a staff, Detroit has posted a team ERA of 8.31 in 17.1 total innings.
 
 
Butler (0-2, 0-0 Horizon League)
The Butler Bulldogs dropped a pair of one-run decisions against Lipscomb and Samford last weekend in the first day of their season before day two was rained out. In both outings, Butler carried the lead going into the seventh inning.
 
As a team, the Bulldogs are hitting .200 at the plate with three runs scored in 14 innings. Lauren McNulty has tallied a team-high two hits, a home run and a double, to finish 2-for-7 in the opening weekend. Callie Dennison leads the lineup with a perfect 2-for-2 performance at the plate, notching a pair of singles and a stolen base on the season. On the mound, Jenny Esparza leads the staff with a 1.35 ERA and five strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched.