One day after tossing a three-hitter in her first outing of the weekend, Valpo softball freshman pitcher Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) did one better on Saturday, giving up just a sole unearned run on two hits as the Beacons earned a 2-1 extra-inning victory over Georgetown at the Frost Classic. Valpo split its two games Saturday, falling earlier in the day to host Chattanooga.

How It Happened – Chattanooga

• Valpo put runners on the corners with one out in the top of the first, as senior Alexis Johnson (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) and sophomore Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) connected on consecutive singles. A double play ended the Beacons’ threat.
• Chattanooga opened the scoring with two runs in the first and added another in the second on a solo homer.
• The Beacons again had runners on the corners and just one out in the fourth inning, but for the second time Saturday, a double play meant they got nothing out of the inning.
• The Mocs posted two runs on the board in the fourth and finished out the game with two more in the sixth.

How It Happened – Georgetown

• Valpo put the first run on the board in the top of the third. Sophomore Lyna Vasquez (Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View) led off the frame with a single and then came all the way around to score on a Georgetown error.
• After walking the leadoff batter of the game, McDermott retired 12 Hoyas in a row to shut them down through four innings. Georgetown finally struck in the fifth, however, as a leadoff double came around to score on a Valpo error to tie the game.
• McDermott limited the damage to just the one run, stranding a runner who was on second with nobody out thanks to a pop-up and back-to-back strikeouts.
• Both teams had runners on first and second with just one out in the sixth inning, but neither was able to take advantage. Georgetown put the potential winning run on base thanks to a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh, but McDermott registered the third out to send the game to extra innings.
• With the international tiebreak in effect, sophomore Kam Utendorf (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove [Black Hawk College]) was sent to second base to start the top of the eighth. Senior Kayla Skapyak (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) was able to successfully sacrifice Utendorf over to third, and an infield grounder from Johnson allowed Utendorf to score and put Valpo on top, 2-1.
• The Beacons were unable to add any insurance, forcing McDermott and the Valpo defense to strand Georgetown’s tiebreak runner at second to avoid prolonging the game. They were up to the task, as batter’s interference put one out on the board. McDermott then induced a foul-out for the second out, and finished things off herself with a strikeout looking to close out the win.

Inside the Games

• One day after throwing a three-hitter in a tough-luck loss to Texas A&M-CC, McDermott came out on the winning end of the decision Saturday to improve to 2-4 on the year. The only two hits the freshman gave up were the back-to-back hits to start the fifth, while she surrendered just the lone unearned run and struck out eight.
• The win was Valpo’s first in extra inning since a 7-5, eight-inning win over Cleveland State March 8, 2020 in what turned out to be the final game of that season. Valpo had dropped its last four extra-inning games before Saturday’s win.
• Johnson and Vasquez both picked up a hit apiece in both games on Saturday.
• Rodas went 2-for-3 at the plate against Chattanooga, her fourth multi-hit game of the season.
• The Beacons continued their early-season aggression on the basepaths, going 4-for-5 on stolen base attempts Saturday, including a pair of successful thefts by Johnson. After going just 21-for-36 in the steals department last season, Valpo is already 18-for-20 this season — led by matching 5-for-5 marks from Johnson and Skapyak.
• Senior Caitlyn Kowalski (Temperance, Mich./Notre Dame Academy) started in the circle against Chattanooga and took the loss, throwing 3.1 innings.

Next Up

Valpo (3-10) closes out action from the Frost Classic on Sunday morning as the Beacons face off with Ohio at 9 a.m.