PFW Softball Team Sweeps Doubleheader in Detroit

On Apr. 20 the Mastodons beat Detroit Mercy in a doubleheader. The final score for game one was 3-2 which finished in the sixth inning.

Detroit took a the lead with a score on a wild pitch in the first inning.

At the bottom of the sixth inning Brooke Wintlend hit a three run home run for a go-ahead run. Bailey Manos and Gwen McMenemy scored making the score 3-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, Detroit had the game tying run on second and the winning run on plate, but they struck out.

Game two of the double header final score was 13-5.

Grace Hollopeter led the game off with a home run, which was her third of the weekend. Detroit came back with two runs giving them the lead.

In the second inning the Mastodons had six runs. Brooke Lickey and Wintlend both homered in the second.

The fourth inning is when Detroit started to make a comeback with a three-run homer. The Mastodons answered with two runs in the fifth.

First at bat in the sixth Hollopeter homered again giving the Mastodons double-digits on the scoreboard.

Kayla Roberts struck out two in the game and got her second win of the season with a 4.2 IP.

PFW improves to 12-29 and Detroit Mercy falls to 3-33. The Mastodons resume play on Friday, Apr. 26 at noon in Green Bay.

PFW Softball Team Wins Against Detroit

On Apr. 19 the Mastodons beat the Detroit Mercy in the sixth inning. The final score was 9-0.

Grace Hollopeter started the game off with a home run in the first inning. In the fourth inning the Mastodons added three more runs. Two were from wild pitches.

In the fifth Brooke Wintlend gave the Mastodons their second home run of the night bringing the score to six to zero.

Alanah Jones had an amazing performance with 14 K’s. 12 of them were consecutive. Jones was also 2-for-2 from the batters box.

The two teams meet again for a Saturday doubleheader on Apr. 20.

PFW Hosts Flo Rida!

For the 2024 Spring Beats, Grammy-nominated artist Flo Rida is coming to PFW. The concert is on Friday, Apr. 26 at the Gates Sports Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m.

The pre show party begins at 4 p.m. in Walb Union, International Ballroom with DJ Key Low. There will be food, nonalcoholic beverages, a photo booth, games, and a dance floor.

Concerts tickets went on sale Wednesday, Apr. 24 at 1:30 p.m. online, in person at the Schatzlein Box Office in the Music Center, and by phone at 260-481-6555. To purchase a ticket you must have a valid Mastodon Card or IUFW student ID number.

Tickets are available to purchase at https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/team.asp?SponsorID=17325&_ga=2.220002329.1070668715.1713758703-1630992252.1701996085

PFW Baseball Team Went 1-1 in Doubleheader at Oakland

The Mastodons faced Oakland on Apr. 13 for a doubleheader. The final score for game one was 11-6.

The Mastodons got on the board with a two-run home run at the top of the second inning from Ben Higgins.

At the top of the third inning the Mastodons took a seven zero lead over Oakland. Jacob Walker led off with scoring from second base. Grant Thoroman stole home and scored. After a reach on error, Nick Sutherlin scored on Cade Fitzpatrick triple, which Higgins also scored on.

Oakland scored at the bottom of the fourth, but Jackson Micheels hit a home run in the top of the fifth keeping the Mastodons in a big lead. PFW ends up scoring twice in the seventh and once more in the top of the ninth.

In game two the Mastodons fall short to Oakland. The final score was eight to three.

The Mastodons took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Walker score off of Thoroman’s single. Oakland scored three times at the bottom of the first.

Oakland had a four point lead, but at the top of seventh Higgins homered cutting the lead to two. Oakland expanded the lead with three more runs in the eighth.

After the doubleheader PFW is now 13-21. Oakland improves to 17-17.

PFW Baseball Team Sweeps Northern Kentucky in Doubleheader

The Mastodons faced Northern Kentucky on Apr. 6 for a doubleheader. The final score for game one was 4-3 (10 innings).

The game started off slow for both teams. The Mastodons scored once in the second inning. Northern Kentucky started making a comeback scoring three times. PFW ended up scoring twice in the bottom half of the eighth inning. PFW’s Justin Osterhouse knot the game up with a two-out RBI double at the ending of the eighth.

Nick Sutherlin’s walk-off home run gave the Mastodons the victory in the 10th inning.

For game two of the day Carter Sabol leads the Mastodons in a 4-3 win over NKU. Sabol allowed one hit with nine strikeouts.

The Mastodons scorers for game two were Sutherlin in the fourth giving PFW a 1-0 lead. Jacob Walker and Grant Sawa scored in the fifth. The lead was 3-0 at the end of the fifth. Ben Higgins scored at the bottom of the eighth. PFW held NKU scoreless until the top of ninth.

The Mastodons improve to 12-18 and Northern Kentucky falls to 19-11.

PFW Women’s Basketball Team Loses in Super 16

The Mastodons season ends in the Super 16 of the WNIT. The final score from Friday’s, Mar. 29, game against Saint Louis was 82-78.

This was a very tight game from the beginning. Saint Louis took a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Mastodons came back quickly. The game was all tied up at halftime.

The second half of the game was close. After Renna Schwieterman made free throws, the Mastodons were down by two with 55 seconds left in the game. Saint Louis ended up scoring the next possession gaining a four point lead. The Mastodons came up short on the next possession sealing the win for Saint Louis.

The Mastodons finish their season 23-13 which is their most wins as a Division I program.

Amellia Bromenschenkel lead the Mastodons in scoring with 27 points and 14 rebounds for the night.

Shayla Sellers career as a Mastodon comes to an end. She finished top 10 in points and sixth in rebounds in the program’s history. She averaged 11.4 points for the 2023-2024 season.

Mastodons Guard Shayla Sellers

Saint Louis improves to 19-18 and will play in the WNIT Great 8.

First Female NFL Official Makes Lasting Impact on PFW Campus

By Lindsay Burke

After reaching a milestone in her officiating career in becoming the first female to officiate in the National Football League and the first to officiate in a Super Bowl, Sarah Thomas takes her professional experiences as a learning tool.

Thomas spent time meeting and interacting with students on the Purdue Fort Wayne campus last Tuesday.

Her message was clear, “prove to yourself that you belong where you are.”

Her message was not centered around her being the first, but rather ways students can be successful when they take that step into their professional careers.

Thomas urged students to find a mentor, someone to lean on when things get tough – because they will at some point. She went on to say “don’t look at these tough times as failures, but rather speed bumps.”

She urged both students on campus and those in attendance at her Omnibus Speaker Series appearance on that evening to reach for their dreams.

“That work ethic, that attitude, how you carry yourself, and your field presence, that recognition will come,” Thomas said. “Don’t do things for the recognition, do them because you love them.”

Thomas’ 10th season in the NFL has already begun as she is required to go through frequent testing to stay current on rule changes throughout the league. She does this all while raising her three children and working at a marketing agency.

It was brought up during the class lecture with students that officials in the NFL take a lot of criticism, but Thomas has trained herself to block out the negative noise and focus on what she can control in perfecting her craft.

Being in the public eye can have its negatives, but the importance of being self aware of what is being posted on social media and how we carry ourselves when we’re out is vastly important.

Thomas shared with the audience that she was scouted by the NFL while officiating a football game. She got their attention not because she was a woman, but because of her field presence and the way she carried herself.

She went on to say that she didn’t even know that scouts for NFL officiating existed, but because she carried herself with professionalism and dignity, she stood out.

Thomas continues to pave the way by traveling around the country sharing her experiences with students. To motivate and guide them into the mindset that anything is possible.

For more information on the Omnibus Speaker Series visit PFW.edu/omnibus.

PFW Men’s Basketball Team Falls Short in Championship Game

On Wednesday Mar. 27, PFW lose to Norfolk State. The final score was 75-67.

The Mastodons started the game off well leading by 17 points with 2:03 left in the first half. By halftime the Spartans cut the lead to 10 points.

With 11:40 left in game the Spartans took the lead after a made three pointer. They remained in the lead for the rest of the game.

The Mastodons had four players who scored double digits. Anthony Roberts had 18 points, Rasheed Bello finished with 13 points, Quinton Morton-Robertson had 12 points all coming from three pointers, and Eric Mulder 10 points.

The Mastodons finish the season with 23 wins!