The Valparaiso University softball team continued Horizon League play Tuesday afternoon with a short trip to Chicago for a doubleheader at UIC, falling by scores of 3-1 in the opener and 4-2 in the nightcap.
After seeing their first nine batters set down in order to start the opener, the Crusaders broke through in the top of the fourth to take the lead. Sophomore Stephanie Moreno (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) reached second on a one-out error and moved up to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore Taylor Nadler (New Haven, Mo./St. Francis Borgia) moved Moreno the final 60 feet with a hard-hit single back through the middle, giving Valpo a 1-0 lead halfway through the game.
Meanwhile, senior Taylor Weissenhofer (Orland Park, Ill./Lockport Township) was busy keeping the Flames off the board. UIC loaded the bases with one out in the third, but a pop-out and a strikeout kept the shutout alive. The fourth inning saw UIC put runners on first and second with one away, but Weissenhofer won a 16-pitch battle, inducing a line-out, and a fly ball kept the Flames again from scoring.
Weissenhofer pitched around a one-out double by the Flames in the fifth, and Valpo had a golden chance to add to the lead in the sixth, as a walk, a single and another free pass loaded the bases with two out. But a pop-up kept the Crusaders’ lead at one run, and UIC struck in the bottom of the sixth with the deciding runs. A leadoff single and a one-out double put two in scoring position, and Taylor Cairns connected on a three-run homer for the final margin, as Valpo went down in order in the seventh.
Weissenhofer took the complete-game loss for Valpo, falling to 4-8 as she struck out five and stranded nine Flame runners on base in her six innings of work. Elaine Heflin earned the win for UIC, improving to 13-5 as she went the distance. Senior Kaitlyn Ranieri (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) and sophomore Jasmine Ramirez (Litchfield Park, Ariz./Millennium) each reached base twice in the opener, both tallying one hit and walking once as well.
UIC pushed the first run across in the nightcap, scoring in its first turn at the plate as Lexi Watts walked, stole second and third and scored on a Crusader error. Valpo responded in the top of the third to tie the game at 1-1thanks to junior Taylor Lawson (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro), who drew a leadoff walk. Lawson advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved up to third on a flyout and came home with two outs on an RBI base knock from Ranieri.
But the Flames answered in their half of the third with three runs, starting off the inning with three straight hits to score two runs before a wild pitch allowed the third to score and gave UIC a 4-1 lead. The Crusaders put together a rally in the seventh inning in an effort to cut into the deficit, as junior Jorgi Calombaris (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) got hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and Lawson reached on an error.
Sophomore Lanie Callaghan (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) drove in Calombaris with a run-scoring single back through the middle, cutting the UIC lead to 4-2 and bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate, but three straight outs ensued as UIC completed the doubleheader sweep.
Senior Mollie Lindeman (Hebron, Ind./Hebron [PNC]) took the loss for the Crusaders, falling to 3-5 as she threw the first three innings. Sophomore Ashlyn Montgomery (Lebanon, Ind./Lebanon) entered in relief to start the fourth inning and threw three shutout innings of one-hit ball. Alice Fitzpatrick earned the win in relief for UIC (22-12, 8-2 Horizon) to improve to 2-2, while Heflin picked up her first save of the year. Freshman Carly Trepanier (Manteno, Ill./Manteno) and Ranieri both posted multi-hit games in the nightcap, while Nadler saw her 22-game on-base streak snapped.
Valparaiso (8-23, 3-6 Horizon) closes out the series with the Flames Wednesday evening in Chicago at 5 p.m. Links for live stats and audio will be available via ValpoAthletics.com.
