FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Apr. 9, 2015)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside softball squad is back on the road after a four-game homestand, taking on Great Lakes Valley Conference foes from two different states. The Rangers open the weekend in Evansville, Indiana, against the University of Southern Indiana and close the trip in Louisville, Kentucky, against host Bellarmine University.
 
The Rangers and Screaming Eagles hit the diamond at noon on Saturday for a twinbill at the USI Softball Field before closing the weekend on Sunday in Kentucky with a noon (Eastern Time) start at Knights Field. Live stats will be available for all four contests while video is available for the USI series on Saturday.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (6-25, 1-15 GLVC) has won two of its last five games, including notching its first victory of the GLVC season last Friday at the expense of the University of Illinois Springfield.
 
The Rangers began the month of April by stunning Division I University of Wisconsin-Green Bay 10-2 in a mercy-rule shortened opener last Wednesday before the defending Horizon League champions turned the tables in game two, netting a 12-4 victory in five innings.
 
The Rangers piled on five runs in the second inning to seize the lead and never looked back as Carly Dundee had a banner game, finishing three-for-three with two home runs while collected the win inside the circle after allowing just four hits.
 
In the nightcap, UW-Parkside seized a 2-0 lead after one inning of play but a nine-run second inning ultimately doomed the Green and White as the Phoenix netted the 12-4 win to level the series.
 
Two days later, the Rangers suffered an 8-5 setback to Illinois Springfield in the opener despite outhitting the Prairie Stars before notching their first win of league play, downing UIS 7-1 after collecting five runs in the opening two innings of action.
 
Kalli Gosser paced the Rangers' efforts in game two, finishing a perfect four-for-four at the dish.
 
UW-Parkside finished off its homestand last Saturday suffering 5-1 and 6-4 setbacks to McKendree University as the Bearcats never trailed during the doubleheader sweep.
 
Courtney Ellingson is the Rangers' top hitter, leading the team in batting average (.322), slugging percentage (.517), extra base hits (nine), and runs batted in (16). Gosser boasts a .313 average with 10 RBIs along with scoring a team-high 15 runs while Madison Manders is hitting at a .307 clip with eight extra base knocks and nine RBIs.
 
In the circle, Ellingson leads the team with a 3.20 earned run average and 63 strikeouts, while tossing nine complete games in 89 2/3 innings of labor. Carly Dundee has six complete games and 45 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings of action while Amber Ramos owns a 3.38 ERA with 46 strikeouts.
 
About the Screaming Eagles: 16th-ranked Southern Indiana (25-5, 12-4 GLVC) heads into the weekend having won 10 of its last 12 game, returning home to Evansville after splitting its four-game set last weekend against a pair of in-state foes/. The Screaming Eagles were swept by then 11th ranked University of Indianapolis last Saturday before taking two from Saint Joseph's College on Sunday.
 
Against UIndy, the Eagles had a 3-0 lead after five innings of action in the opener before the host Greyhounds scored a pair of runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh to force extra innings. In the ninth, it was a single up the middle that scored the winning run, giving the Hounds the 4-3 win. UIndy outhit the Eagles by a 14-4 margin in game one and dominated game two, netting an 8-0 mercy rule win to claim the doubleheader sweep.
 
The following day, USI crushed Saint Joseph's, blanking the Pumas 2-0 in the opener before hammering the hosts 9-1 in the second game to claim the sweep.
 
MacKenzie Dorsam is the Screaming Eagles' most prolific hitter, sporting a .419 batting average with eight home runs and 26 RBIs while Grace Clark is hitting .400 with five home runs and 19 RBIs. Four more Eagles with at least 75 at-bats are hitting above .300 while six Eagles have driven in at least 15 runs this season.
 
In the circle, Brooke Harmening's arm has accounted for 15 of the squad's 25 wins, owning a 1.29 earned run average with 87 strikeouts in 119 2/3 innings of action. Harmening has tossed 15 complete games, including five shutouts while coming in as a reliever and netting three saves. Sarah Owens has seen the second most action on staff, pitching 57 1/3 innings with a 1.95 ERA.
 
About the Knights: Bellarmine (24-10, 12-4 GLVC) heads into Saturday's twinbill against Lewis University having won two of its last four games after splitting twinbills against both Saint Joseph's and national-ranked Indianapolis.
 
The Knights squashed the Pumas 9-0 in the opener last Saturday in Rensselaer, Indiana, before having a late rally fall short in a 3-2 setback in game two. Bellarmine suffered a 6-0 setback to begin the day last Sunday against powerhouse UIndy before scoring the first four runs of the game and capturing a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.
 
Rachel Fox is Bellarmine's top hitter with at least 70 plate appearances, sporting a .351 batting average while Hannah Daunhauer has a .323 average and 21 RBIs while pacing the squad in runs scored (22) and extra base hits (12). Ally Foster has belted a team best seven home runs while Scarlett Powers has a team-high 23 RBIs.
 
Foster is the team's ace, pitching 126 1/3 innings and owning a 14-2 record with a 0.78 earned run average and 200 strikeouts. She has tossed five shutouts in 2015 while earning three saves. Alicia Miller is the only other pitcher to see extensive action, logging 91 innings inside the circle and striking out 64 with a 2.00 ERA.