The Valparaiso University baseball team held a 1-0 lead as late as the fifth inning, but No. 3 Louisville gained the advantage with three in the fifth and put the game away with three more in the eighth for a 6-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium. Kevin Barry (Bartlett, Ill. / South Elgin) took advantage of his first action of the season, notching two hits and driving in Valpo’s lone run of the day.

How It Happened

• Valpo starting pitcher Colin Fields (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) did not allow a hit over the first two innings. He yielded a double in the third, but induced his second double play of the day to extinguish the threat.
• A bloop single by Barry to center drove in the first run of the game in the top of the fourth as Valpo grabbed a 1-0 lead. Troy Jones (Orland Park, Ill. / Carl Sandburg [Triton]) came around to score on the play after reaching via a bunt single earlier in the inning.
• A walk, a stolen base and an E-2 allowed Louisville to threaten with the potential tying run at third in the bottom of the fourth, but Fields induced a line drive to right that ended the inning.
• The Cardinals started the fifth inning with a parade of four straight hits that featured a triple, a double, a bunt single, a two-run single and a pair of stolen bases. After striking out the final man he faced, Fields departed with his team chasing 3-1. Trent Turzenski (Burlington, Wis. / Burlington) took over and yielded no further damage in that frame as Louisville stranded a man at third.
• The Cardinals (3-3) added three runs in the eighth to expand the lead to 6-1.
• Valpo loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, forcing the Cardinals to insert closer Michael Kirian in a save situation. He got the final two outs to secure the victory for the hosts.

Inside the Game

• Valpo made two lineup changes for Saturday’s game with Jeremy Drudge (Plymouth, Ind. / Plymouth) and Barry seeing their first action of the season. Drudge started at DH while Barry got the nod at first base.
• Barry took advantage of his opportunity by notching two of the team’s five hits. It marked his first multi-hit output in a Valpo uniform.
• Steven Fitzsimmons (Golden Valley, Minn. / Robbinsdale Cooper) also had two hits after going 1-for-12 over the first four games.

Up Next

Valpo (1-4) will round out the series with No. 3 Louisville on Sunday at noon CT in Louisville, Ky. The game will again be broadcast on ACC Network Extra with links to live video, audio and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com.