EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The 14th-ranked UIndy softball team notched a pair of wins Friday to open the 2023 Blue Bridge Battle, hosted at Deaconess Sports Park in Evansville, Ind. The Greyhounds rolled past Davenport for the second time this season, 13-1, before earning a comeback win against Davis & Elkins in nine innings, 6-5.
 
GAME 1 | UIndy 13, Davenport 1 (5 innings)
After earning an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second, UIndy broke it wide open in the third. The productive inning saw UIndy send 14 batters to the plate, nine of which came around to score. Shelby Cook led off the frame with a walk and things snowballed from there. RBI singles by Dominique Proctor and Megan Nichols and a two-run double from Lexy Rees propelled the rally, while two fielding errors, three hit batsmen and three stolen bases stoked the flames.
 
Starting pitcher Kenzee Smith dominated the Panthers from the circle. The All-American retired the first nine batters and did not surrender a hit in the bottom of the fifth. She finished with five Ks and zero walks in the complete-game win, moving to 6-2 on the season.
 
UIndy has now defeated Davenport twice in the last six days.
 
GAME 2 | UIndy 6, Davis & Elkins 5 (9 innings)
The Greyhounds erased late deficits in both the seventh and eighth innings before pulling it out in the ninth.
 
Down 2-1 with two out and the bases empty in the bottom of the seven, Emily O'Connor worked a walk to keep hope alive. A pair of singles followed, with Maddy Stout scoring pinch runner Megan Wineinger with the tying run to force extras.
 
UIndy surrendered two unearned runs in the top of the eighth but got them right back in the bottom half. A double steal brought the first run with, as Proctor stole home. Later, Jocelyn Calvin tied it up once again with an RBI groundout.
 
After an unconventional double play got the Hounds out of the top of the ninth unscathed, UIndy wasted no time plating the game winner. Placed on second base via the extra-inning tiebreaker rule, Megan Wineinger came around on an error by the Senator second baseman .
 
Smith got the pitching win once again, tossing 2 2/3 hitless innings of relief. Starter Jayden Casebolt went 6 1/3, allowing three runs – two earned.

UP NEXT
The Greyhounds remain in Evansville Saturday for two more contests. They'll face off against in-region foes Trevecca Nazarene and Northwood at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET, respectively.