Valparaiso University baseball redshirt junior starting pitcher
Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) displayed impeccable command for the second straight start, racking up 11 strikeouts and no walks, but host Memphis pushed across a late run to win the opener 5-4 before sweeping Saturday's doubleheader with a 9-3 win in the nightcap.
How It Happened – Game 1
- Valpo jumped in front with two runs on four hits – all singles – in the opening frame. Kevin Denty (Tinley Park, Ill. / Marian Catholic) and Austin Amburgey (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg) each recorded run-scoring knocks.
- Lockwood sent down the first two Tigers who came to the plate in the bottom of the first, but a two-out double was followed by a run-scoring single to slice the lead in half.
- A leadoff home run to start the bottom of the second for Memphis tied the game at two, then the Tigers took the lead with an unearned run in the third.
- Lockwood put up his first zero of the day in the fourth, sending down Memphis in order.
- After redshirt junior Spencer Warfield (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) worked a walk to begin the fifth, redshirt freshman Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) delivered a two-run shot to left center, putting the Beacons back in front at 4-3.
- A two-out double in the bottom of the fifth brought home a Memphis run and tied the game at four.
- Lockwood worked three up, three down with a pair of strikeouts in the sixth, then put an exclamation mark on a strong outing by working 1-2-3 in the seventh with each of the final two Tigers who came to the plate against him going down on strikes. The Valpo righty retired the final seven men he faced.
- The Valpo bullpen was touched for the go-ahead run on an RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth that put Memphis in front 5-4. A two-out walk and single in the top of the ninth put the tying run in scoring position, but a fly out ended the opener.
Inside the Game – Game 1
- Sullivan's home run was the third by the team this season and the first of his collegiate career.
- Lockwood's career-high 11 strikeouts were the most by a Beacon since Lucas Foley on Feb. 17, 2023 at Alabama State (11). He outdid his own career high of nine strikeouts on March 30, 2024 vs. Bradley.
- Lockwood's 11 strikeouts came with no walks. Through two starts spanning 15 innings this season, the Valpo right-hander has 18 strikeouts and no walks.
- Sullivan and Denty paced the team with two hits apiece. Sullivan reached base three times, scored twice and drove in two.
- Valpo outhit Memphis 10-9 in the one-run loss, the team's first one-run game since a 3-2 defeat at UIC on April 27 of last season.
How It Happened – Game 2
- The second game started favorably for the Beacons as redshirt sophomore Thomas Cooper (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) cracked a two-out home run in the opening inning to put the Beacons on the board.
- The top of the third started with redshirt senior Kade Reinetson (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) ripping a home run to left to double the Valpo lead.
- Sophomore lefty Lucas Foley (Deer Park, Ill. / Lake Zurich) sent down the first eight Memphis batters in the game, but six straight reached with two outs in the third, a rally that culminated with a bases-clearing triple to put the hosts ahead 5-2.
- Memphis picked up two more in the fourth, upping the lead to five at 7-2. Two more in the bottom of the sixth made it 9-3.
- Senior Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) rapped a double to drive in a run in the top of the seventh, but that marked the last of the game's scoring.
- Freshmen pitchers Evan Fullhorst (St. Peters, Mo. / Fort Zumwalt South) and Nick Baffa (Glenview, Ill. / Notre Dame College Prep) combined to toss 2 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the Tigers at bay late in the contest.
Inside the Game – Game 2
- Cooper's home run was the first of his collegiate career.
- Reinertson launched his third collegiate long ball as he had exactly one each of the last two seasons.
- Three of Valpo's five hits went for extra bases.
Up Next
Valpo (0-5) will close the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. Links to live video and stats are available on ValpoAthletics.com.