MACON, Ga. – Friday's opening day of the 2026 season was an exciting one for the University of Evansville softball team. The opener saw sophomore Kate Ridgway toss a no-hitter against Maine while Purple Aces head coach Bailey Dillender and her staff picked up their first win with the program.
 
Game two of the day saw the Aces battle to the finish before defending Southern Conference Champion Mercer took a 16-14 victory in a wild 8-inning contest.
 
"It was great to finally play someone not ourselves. Kate was excellent in the circle this morning and i loved watching our kids compete their tails off in game two versus Mercer," Coach Dillender said. "I'm not big on moral victories, but there were so many positive things to take from Day 1."
 
Game 1 – UE 4, Maine 1 | Box Score
 
Kate Ridgway struck out eight batters and opened the season with her first collegiate no-hitter as the Aces took down Maine by a final score of 4-1. Jess Willsey paced the offense with two hits including a home run and a double. Maliyah Wilkins led the team with two RBI while Keghan Pye also had a run batted in.
 
It did not take long for UE to get on the board as Willsey opened the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the first. Kate Ridgway had a strong start to the morning, striking out four Black Bear batters in the first two innings.
 
Pye double the Aces lead in the bottom half of the second. Niki Bode reached on a leadoff walk before advancing to third on a Brooke Voss sacrifice followed by a groundout. That brought Pye to the plate who rose up to the occasions with a single to score Bode. Maine took advantage of two walks and a UE error to plate a run in the top of the third.
 
The game remained at 2-1 in favor of UE until the bottom of the sixth. Eliza Piggott hit a leadoff double with the Aces proceeding to load the bases with no outs. Shortly after, Wilkins came through with a huge 2-run single to center field to give Evansville some breathing room. Ridgway took care of business from there, striking out the final batter in the seventh to clinch the win.
 
Game 2 – Mercer 16, UE 14 (8 innings) | Box Score
 
While Friday's opener was a defensive battle, the afternoon contest against Mercer saw the offenses erupt in a big way. The Bears wrapped up the game with 16 runs on 16 hits while the Aces plated 14 runs on 10 hits while eight batters reached on a walk. Morgan Adams, Jess Willsey, and Eliza Piggott each hit home runs for UE. Willsey led the Aces with three hits while Piggott was 2-3 with four runs scored. Adams recorded four RBI while Brooke Voss added three.
 
Things went the way of the Bears in the opening frame as they tagged UE starter Gracie Hollingsworth for five runs, four earned, in 1/3 of an inning. Evansville got on the board in the top of the second when Emma McDonald singled in Piggott. The Bears matched the run in the bottom of the second to establish a 6-1 advantage.
 
Willsey's solo shot in the third got her team within four runs before the Evansville offense erupted for eight runs in the fourth. Voss got things going with a 2-run triple before scoring on a wild pitch. Willsey followed her home run in the third with a RBI single in the fourth. Adams came through with a 3-run homer while Piggott added UE's third long ball of the game with a solo shot that gave the Aces a 10-6 lead.
 
Two solo home runs highlighted a 4-run bottom of the fourth for Mercer who tied the score at 10-10. Another long ball by the Bears came in a 2-run fifth that extended the lead to 12-10.
 
Evansville got back on track in the top of the sixth as a 3-run inning put them back in front. Adams added an RBI single while another scored on a fielding error. McDonald's fielder's choice with two outs scored Voss to put UE up 13-12. Down to their final three outs, the Bears tied the game on a leadoff home run to force extra innings.
 
Voss' 2-out double brought in Adams for the go-ahead run, but Mercer hit a 3-run walkoff home run to take the 16-14 victory. UE opens Saturday with a 9 a.m. game against North Carolina A&T before taking on the Bears at 2 p.m. CST.