Box Score
Valparaiso pulled even with Notre Dame in the sixth inning on
Wednesday evening, but the Fighting Irish took advantage of the Crusader
bullpen in the late innings and defeated the Brown and Gold 10-4 at Frank Eck
Stadium in South Bend, Ind.
The Crusaders fought back
from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the sixth, only to see the bullpen allow
seven runs and seven hits in 3.2 innings of work.
“It’s disappointing to tie
the game up with three runs and then come back and give up four the next time
out there,” head coach Tracy Woodson
said. “Everyone in the bullpen, with the
exception of (Jared) Miller has struggled this year. We’re looking for guys to come out and throw
strikes and get guys out. Right now they
aren’t doing that.”
Notre Dame opened the scoring
in the first with four straight hits.
With runners on first and second, Casey Martin singled through the right
side to score David Mills and move A.J. Pollack around to third. Martin was thrown out at second after trying
to advance on Justin Frane’s (Huntertown, Ind./Carroll
H.S.) throw to the plate. Jeremy Barnes
followed with a double to the gap in left-center to score Pollack, putting
Notre Dame up 2-0 after one.
Valpo starter Tyler Deetjen (Saint Charles, Ill./East
H.S.) worked out of jams in the second and third, stranding four Notre Dame
runners, including three in starting position.
The Crusaders looked to take
advantage of some wildness from Fighting Irish starter Steve Sabatino, who
allowed two walks in the third and another in the fourth following a lead off
single by Josh Wallace (Bellefountaine, Ohio/Bellefountaine H.S.), who doubled to lead off the second
as well. Valpo could not move the runners
any further though, managing just the two hits by Wallace through four innings
of play.
Notre Dame added to the lead
in the fifth as Pollack led off with a walk, and stole both second and third
before scoring on a ground out.
Valpo found the scoreboard in
the sixth. Kyle Muhlsteff (Yorba
Linda, Calif./Esperanza
H.S.) struck out to lead off the inning, but reached first on a wild
pitch. He moved around to third as Kyle Gaedele (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling
Meadows H.S.) doubled down the left field line.
Wallace followed with a sacrifice fly to left to score Muhlsteff and
bring the Crusaders within two, while chasing Sabatino after 5.1 innings.
With Ryan Richter on in
relief, he walked both Frane and Andrew
Quinnette (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo H.S.) to load the bases with
just one out. Damon McCormick (Louisville,
Ky./Saint Xavier H.S.) hit a hot
shot to first baseman that skirted through into right for a error, plating both Gaedele
and Frane to tie the game at three. A
double play ended the inning though.
The Fighting Irish answered
in the bottom of the sixth with three straight hits, including a bunt single to
load the bases. A passed ball allowed
pinch runner Alex Robinson to score the go ahead run. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Pollack made
it 5-3 Notre Dame. After the third walk
of the inning reloaded the bases, an infield single by Barnes added the third
run of the frame and Ryan Connolly followed with a sacrifice fly to put the
Fighting Irish up 7-3 as Notre Dame batted around in the inning.
The hosts added a run in the
seventh on a single, hit batsman, error, and sacrifice fly by Mills to expand
the lead and tacked on two more unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth,
taking advantage of a lead off error by the Crusaders.
Valpo added a run in the ninth
on a sacrifice fly by Gaedele for the game’s final tally.
Wallace finished the day
3-for-4 for the Crusaders as Valpo tallied seven hits on the day. Barnes had three hits for the Fighting Irish
to lead their 15-hit attack.
Richter (1-0) earned the win
for Notre Dame, pitching two innings of relief allowing just one unearned
run. Austen Siwiec (Aurora,
Ill./Marmion Academy) suffered
the loss (0-1) for the Crusaders, surrendering three runs and three hits in
two-thirds of an inning.
“We want to come back and
have a good weekend starting Friday,” concluded Woodson.
Valparaiso (5-10) will close out its season-opening road trip
with a three-game series in Indianapolis,
Ind. Friday’s series opener
against Butler is set for 2 p.m. CDT with the
game carried live on WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso),
and online at www.valpoathletics.com. this weekend to open Horizon
League play.
Game Notes: Light
rain began to fall in the bottom third inning and was off and on throughout the
middle innings … Frane had his second outfield assist of the day on play at
plate in the fourth … Wallace had his team-leading sixth multi-hit game of the
season and second three-hit game … Notre Dame stole five bases on the day.