EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another home Missouri Valley Conference series is on the docket for the University of Evansville softball team this weekend when the Purple Aces welcome Belmont to Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium.
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UE looks to put an end to a 7-game skid with four of those defeats coming by just a single run. The Aces put forth a strong effort in last weekend's road series at Missouri State, dropping the three games by a total of five runs.
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Leading the way for the Purple Aces offense in the weekend trip to Missouri State was Hannah Hood. The senior registered four hits in nine at-bats, translating to a .444 batting average. She scored two runs while recording a double, steal and a sacrifice. Saturday's series opener saw Hood go 0-1 but pick up a sacrifice.  Her top performance came in the second game of the weekend as she went 3-5 with two runs and a steal. She completed the weekend with a 1-for-3 showing on Sunday.
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The outstanding pitching by Sydney Weatherford continued last weekend. Over the course of 9 2/3 innings, Weatherford recorded a 1.45 ERA while allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits. Weatherford made the start in the opener on Saturday, tossing 6 1/3 frames. She allowed one run on four hits. Over that time, she struck out three batters while walking just one. In 3 1/3 innings of relief on Sunday, she allowed two runs, one being earned, while striking out two batters.
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Over the last nine games, the starting pitching for the Purple Aces has been outstanding. As a whole, the starters have tossed a total of 33 innings while allowing just eight earned runs over that time. That translates to a 1.70 ERA. No starting pitcher over that span has allowed more than three earned runs to score. Â
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Belmont enters the series with an overall record of 17-12 while splitting their first six MVC games. Kristen Green leads the Bruins with a .350 batting average while adding three home runs and 14 RBI.
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