A first-inning offensive explosion that transformed into a pitchers’ duel thereafter saw the Valparaiso University baseball team drop the series opener against visiting Bradley 6-4 on Friday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field. The Valpo bullpen performed well after entering the game in the second inning, but a four-run first for the guests proved pivotal in the game’s outcome.

How It Happened

• Bradley got four in the opening inning to take the early lead. The first five Braves batters all reached base.
• Valpo responded in the bottom of the first as Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) grounded an RBI single through the left side, Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) had a run-scoring knock through the right side and Schmack crossed the dish on a passed ball to make it 4-3.
• Bradley extended its edge to 5-3 with an unearned run in the second, but nothing else crossed the plate over three innings against reliever Grant Jablonski. He was followed on the mound by Joe Seiber (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport [College of DuPage]) , who yielded just one hit and no walks over three shutout frames.
• Although Valpo pitching kept the Braves at bay, the Beacons could not muster up a run in the middle part of the game. Bradley eventually tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth before an Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) solo shot in the last of the ninth accounted for the game’s final score.

Inside the Game

• The only Valpo player with a multi-hit day was Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo), whose two hits extended his season-long on-base streak to 24.
• Seven of the nine Beacons in the lineup had a hit on a day where each team lashed out eight, but the Thurston homer in the ninth was Valpo’s lone extra-base knock.
• Thurston’s home run was his fourth of the season and the seventh of his collegiate career. Three of his home runs have come in the last six games.

Up Next

Valpo (8-16, 0-4 MVC) will continue the series on Saturday. Check back for any potential schedule changes based on the weather forecast.