The Valpo softball team kicked off the Missouri Valley Conference schedule Friday evening on the road, falling at Evansville by an 8-0 final.

How It Happened

• The Beacons looked poised to potentially open the scoring in the bottom of the first, when Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) and Kayden Krug (Milford, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) connected on back-to-back two-out singles, but Valpo was unable to come up with the run-scoring hit.
• A two-run double in the bottom of the first opened the scoring for Evansville.
• The Purple Aces added three runs in the third and two in the fourth before closing out their run-rule win on an RBI single in the fifth.

Inside the Game

• Kam Utendorf (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove [Black Hawk College]), who entered Valley play leading the conference in batting average, went 1-for-2 at the plate Friday to bump her average to .440 on the season.
• With her base hit, Krug is now hitting .379 on the year and is 10-for-22 over the Beacons’ last eight games.
• Regi Hecker (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Blue Springs South) saw her seven-game hitting streak and nine-game on-base streak come to an end Friday.
• Freshman Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) took the loss in the circle Friday, starting and going the first 2.1 innings. Fellow rookie Anna Wilming (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) covered the final 1.2 innings.

Next Up

Valpo (6-16, 0-1 MVC) continues the three-game series against its in-state foes on Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. first pitch, live on ESPN+.