Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Bradenton, Fla. - Eight Crusaders had two-or-more hits as Valpo used a 19-hit attack to defeat Maine 11-8 in Bradenton, Fla. The win was the first of the season for Valpo (1-3).

Colin Reynolds' three-run homer gave the Crusaders the lead in the first inning. The sophomore designated hitter/first baseman went 2-for-4 on the afternoon.

Kevin Perri went 3-for-4 to lead the hit parade. Joining Perri and Reynolds in the multi-hit category were Mike Arensdorff (2-for-3), Kevin Kutansky (2-for-4), Jeff Rickert (2-for-5), Brian Rzepka (2-for-4), Ryan Manthei (2-for-4) and Jon Rupno (2-for-4). All nine Crusader starters had at least one hit as Tyler Lowell and Matt Augustine added one hit each.

John Snelten (1-0) earned the victory in relief. The freshman hurled 3 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits, while fanning four and walking none. Adam Knobel pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save. Jordan Smolar started on the mound for the Crusaders, pitching 4 1/3 innings.

Maine (2-2) finished with 14 hits. Each team committed two errors.

Valpo opposes Northeastern on Thursday at 10 a.m. CT in Bradenton, Fla.