After finishing the first game of Friday's doubleheader on the wrong side of an 11-1, eight-inning defeat, it was the Valparaiso University baseball team that led by as many as 10 and held on for a 16-11 victory over Niagara on Friday to close out a home-opening doubleheader, the earliest home games in program history. Due to outfield conditions at Emory G. Bauer Field, the games were played at UIC's Curtis Granderson Stadium on a windy and unseasonably warm late-February day.
 
How It Happened – Game 1

• Valpo played from behind from the outset as Niagara hit a three-run homer with two outs in the top of the first.
• Redshirt sophomore Thomas Cooper (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) drove in a run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to two at 3-1.
• The Purple Eagles tacked on one in the top of the second and two in the fourth to open up a 6-1 lead. They added two in the sixth and three in the eighth. A bases-clearing double in that eighth inning put the game in run-rule position.

Inside the Game – Game 1

• Senior Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) was the primary bright spot of Game 1, accounting for four of the team's seven hits and going 4-for-4.
• Redshirt freshman Deuce Musial (De Pere, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) tossed a scoreless inning in his Valpo debut, a highlight for the pitching staff.

How It Happened – Game 2

• The Purple Eagles struck first in the second game on an RBI triple in the opening inning, but the Beacons responded with three in the bottom of the first with Liam Patton and Bryan Hatch (Des Plaines, Ill. / St. Viator) driving in runs.
• In the bottom of the second, Cooper clubbed a double to right center to drive in a pair, and Valpo tacked on two more in the inning including an RBI single by Connor Giusti to make it 7-1.
• Redshirt junior Spencer Warfield (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) got in on the act in the third inning, drilling a home run to left center to make it 8-1. Patton added a two-run single to open the lead to 10-1.
• Redshirt junior Patrick Ilitch (Detroit, Mich. / University Liggett) slugged a three-run homer to left center in the fifth, giving Valpo a commanding 13-1 edge.
• Niagara scored twice in the top of the sixth, but Valpo responded with two in the bottom of the inning for its fifth crooked number in the first six frames.
• The Golden Eagles scored 10 of their 11 runs over the final four innings including four in the ninth, but redshirt sophomore Ryan Kruse (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) eventually put the finishing touches on the victory with three strikeouts in the final frame.

Inside the Game – Game 2

• Senior Harry Deliyannis (Bloomington, Ind. / Bloomington North) picked up the victory with four innings of five-run, four-hit relief while striking out four and walking one. He retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings.
• Ilitch's home run was the second of his collegiate career and first since 2023 at Missouri State. Warfield's home run was the third of his career and also his first since the 2023 campaign.
• Warfield had the tough half of the cycle as he also tripled in the nightcap, his first career triple.
• Hatch had three hits, leading six Beacons who had multi-hit games. Valpo got production from the lower half of the order, as the four through nine batters in the lineup all produced multiple hits.
• Redshirt freshman Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) walked four times and scored three runs. He became the first Beacon with four walks in a game since Kyle Schmack on April 30, 2023 at Missouri State.
• Valpo's 16 runs marked the team's highest total since beating UIC 20-0 on April 28 of last season, Valpo's previous game at Curtis Granderson Stadium prior to Friday.

Up Next
Valpo (2-6) and Niagara will round out the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field. The game will air on ESPN+.