The Valpo softball team found itself stymied for much of Sunday's series finale against Illinois State at the Valpo Softball Complex by Redbird pitcher Hannah Meshnick, falling to the Redbirds by a 5-1 final.
 
How It Happened

• Back-to-back two-out hits in the top of the first plated the Redbirds' first two runs of the game.
• Illinois State added another pair of runs in the second inning, one of which was unearned.
• A leadoff homer in the top of the fifth extended the Redbirds' advantage.
• After the first 12 Beacons had been retired in order, Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) led off the bottom of the fifth with a sharp single down the first-base line for Valpo's first baserunner.
• Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) launched a one-out solo homer to left field in the bottom of the seventh to get Valpo on the board, but that was the Beacons' only other baserunner of the game.

 
Inside the Game

• The Beacons were limited to just four runs on 13 hits as the Redbirds swept the three-game series.
• Valpo's two hits on Sunday matched a season low.
• Not only were the Beacons unable to draw a walk on Sunday, only two batters even reached a three-ball count.
• Gallagher's seventh-inning home run was her sixth long ball of the season, most by a Valpo player since 2018.
• The home run also extended Gallagher's on-base streak to 19 consecutive games.
• Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) started in the circle and went four innings, taking the loss to fall to 4-7 on the season. Erin Metz (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) tossed two innings of shutout relief.

 
Next Up
Valpo (17-21, 6-11 MVC) hits the road next week for four games, stepping outside of conference play briefly for a Wednesday afternoon showdown at Illinois.