Taking on a pair of Big East programs on its first day of action in the 2025 season, the Valpo softball team was unable to come away with a victory Saturday in Rosemont, Ill., falling 8-4 to Butler and 2-0 to DePaul.
 
How It Happened – Butler

• After the Bulldogs scored in the top of the first, Valpo responded immediately with a run in the bottom of the first. Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) singled up the middle in her first collegiate at-bat and eventually came around to score on an RBI single from Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) in her first plate appearance as a Beacon.
• Butler pulled away with a seven-run top of the fourth to go up 8-1.
• The Beacons made some headway into the deficit in the bottom half of that frame, as Natalie Bush (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) connected on an RBI triple and Kim Rodas (San Bernadino, Calif./Cajon) followed with a run-scoring groundout to make it an 8-3 game.
• Valpo put two on base in the fifth and one in the sixth, but was unable to shave its deficit any more in those two innings. The Beacons did add another run in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) and had the potential tying run on deck when the game ended.

 
How It Happened – DePaul

• The nightcap turned out to be an old-school pitcher's duel. Making her Valpo debut in the circle, Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) was lights out through the first half of the game — a third-inning walk which was erased on a caught stealing was the only blemish on Lopez's card through four innings.
• The Beacons had a golden opportunity to strike first in the top of the fourth, as Gallagher doubled to lead off the frame and flex Brooklynn Couch (Lawrenceburg, Ind./Lawrenceburg) moved up to third on a passed ball with nobody out. But a strikeout and two groundouts kept Couch on third and the game scoreless.
• DePaul struck the decisive blows in the bottom of the fifth, stringing together three straight hits to plate two runs. Valpo had runners on the corners with one out in the sixth and got the potential tying run to the plate in the seventh, but was unable to take advantage.

 
Inside the Games

• Saturday's contests were the first for Mike Armitage as the head coach of the Valpo softball program.
• With the largest roster in program history (24 players), Armitage has plenty of chances to plug different players into different places and took full advantage Saturday. 20 players saw action in the opener against Butler, scaled back to 14 in the nightcap versus DePaul.
• Six freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the Butler game, highlighted by Vrastil going 3-for-4 with a run scored against the Bulldogs as she started at DP. Erin Metz (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) entered in relief in the circle against Butler and debuted with 3.1 shutout innings, striking out five.
• Marissa Jackson (Willis, Mich./Huron) also started in her collegiate debut, earning the nod in center field. Sophia Leitzen (Orfordville, Wis./Brodhead) debuted as a pinch-hitter versus Butler before starting in right field versus DePaul, while Couch pinch-ran against Butler before starting at shortstop versus DePaul. Kyndal Shively (Bloomington, Ill./University) pinch-ran in both games as well.
• Gallagher and Lopez both made their Valpo debuts after transferring from MSU Moorhead.
• In addition to Vrastil's three-hit performance against Butler, Gallagher went 2-for-3 with an RBI. She followed by reaching base twice in the nightcap as well, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.
• Bush's triple against the Bulldogs was the first three-bagger of her collegiate career.
• Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) took the loss in the circle against Butler, as she started and went 3.2 innings before Metz's strong relief outing. Lopez was tagged with a tough-luck defeat versus DePaul after five innings of three-hit ball — Metz tossed a scoreless sixth inning in that game.

 
Next Up
Valpo (0-2) closes out action from the Dome on Sunday with two more games, facing a pair of former Horizon League foes. The Beacons face Green Bay at 9 a.m. before wrapping the weekend versus Detroit Mercy at 2 p.m.