MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Kate Ridgway and Maliyah Wilkins were the top performers for the University of Evansville softball team in day two of the 901 Classic. Ridgway struck out ten batters in a victory over USI while Wilkins combined to go 5-for-7 from the plate in UE's two games on Saturday.
 
Game 1 – UE 6, USI 4
 
Kate Ridgway struck out 10 batters and Maliyah Wilkins added her second home run of the season to lead the Purple Aces to a 6-4 win over USI in Saturday's opener. Wilkins was 2-3 with two RBI and two runs while Niki Bode added a pair of hits and an RBI. Ridgway threw 6 1/3 innings with two runs scoring on four hits. Sophia Otten recorded the final out of the game for UE to earn her first save.
 
In the early innings, it was a pitcher's duel with Ridgway striking out six batters through three frames. She struck out the side in the bottom of the second. Wilkins got things going in the fourth with a leadoff double. Morgan Adams walked and Sydney Kalonihea was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Brooke Voss hit a sacrifice fly to open the scoring before Emma McDonald's single up the middle gave UE a 2-0 lead.
 
Walks by Jess Willsey and Wilkins set the table for Niki Bode, who hit a 2-out single to score Willsey. Wilkins would score on the play thanks to an error by the Screaming Eagles. Up 4-0 entering the seventh, Maliyah Wilkins added a pair of insurance runs that would prove to be extremely important. Her 1-out home run extended the UE lead to 6-0.
 
Down to its final three outs, USI staged a furious rally in the bottom of the seventh with four runs scoring. With the tying run at the plate, Sophia Otten entered the game and struck out the final batter to seal the victory.
 
Game 2 – Memphis 8, UE 7
 
Trailing by three runs in the bottom of the sixth, Memphis rallied to finish with an 8-7 walk-off win in game two on Saturday. Maliyah Wilkins led the offense going 3-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Taylor Howe went 2-3 with two runs, an RBI, and walk.
 
Evansville wasted little time getting on the board in the second, scoring three times in the top of the first. Wilkins opened with an RBI single to bring in Taylor Howe, who reached on a walk. With two outs, Brooke Voss came through with a clutch 2-run single with the bases loaded to bring in Wilkins and Morgan Adams. The Tigers countered with a 3-run bottom of the first to tie the score. Kennedy Semien's 2-run single tied the score with two outs.
 
After reaching on a walk in the first, Howe doubled with one out in the second. That brought Jess Willsey to the plate, who doubled to the wall in left center to put Evansville back in front. In the top of the third, the Aces regained the 3-run advantage as a sacrifice fly by Howe and RBI hit from Wilkins made it a 6-3 score going into the bottom of the inning.
 
Memphis added a single run in the bottom of the fourth while the Aces scored a run in the sixth with Wilkins hitting a long home run to center field to make it a 7-4 game. The Tigers inched closer with a run in the 6^th and threatened to get even closer, however, Sophia Otten struck out the final two batters to keep it a 7-5 game.
 
Unfortunately, in the bottom of the 7^th, Memphis rallied for three runs to walk it off by a final score of 8-7. Alexis Tucker went 5 1/3 innings allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits. Sophia Otten suffered the loss with three unearned runs scoring in an inning of work. She struck out three. On Sunday, the Aces wrap up the tournament with an 11 a.m. game against Ball State.