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Valparaiso University

Calendar

Kiser ND
1
Valparaiso VALPO 8-23
7
Winner Notre Dame ND 17-17
Valparaiso VALPO
8-23
1
Final
7
Notre Dame ND
17-17
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Valparaiso VALPO 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 0
Notre Dame ND 0 0 0 5 0 0 1 1 X 7 12 1

W: Brady Koester (2-0) L: Baffa, Nick (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Trio of Relievers Work Scoreless Ball on Tuesday at Notre Dame

Three members of the Valparaiso University baseball team's bullpen put up zeros by pitching one inning apiece without yielding a run including two hurlers who were returning to action after missing time with injuries. However, host Notre Dame used a five-run fourth to take command of the game and never looked back in a 7-1 victory at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend.
 
How It Happened
  • Freshman starting pitcher Nick Baffa (Glenview, Ill. / Notre Dame) had good success over the game's first three innings, keeping the Fighting Irish off the scoreboard. He used a pair of strikeouts in the second to work around a leadoff double.
  • Notre Dame broke through in the fourth as Connor Hincks hit a two-run homer, part of a stretch where the Fighting Irish hit for the team cycle in the first four batters of the fourth then tacked on a Jayce Lee two-run homer for good measure, chasing Baffa from the game with the hosts in front 5-0.
  • Valpo went to the bullpen and got a good outing from Hunter Frost (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) in his first action since incurring an injury on March 14 at Illinois. He did not allow any damage while recording all three outs of the fourth.
  • It was a day of returns on the mound as redshirt junior Joe Seiber (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport) saw his first action since March 28 after missing time with an injury. He came on for the fifth and worked a scoreless frame.
  • Valpo picked up its first run of the game in the sixth as Connor Giusti (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd) was hit by a pitch to start the inning and eventually came around to score on a ground ball to the left side of the infield by Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) that was thrown wildly to first.
  • Valpo loaded the bases on three walks in the seventh, but a payoff pitch with the bases loaded and two down was called strike three, to the chagrin of the Valpo dugout.
  • A solo homer started the Notre Dame seventh to extend the lead to 6-1, then lefty Kaden Kiser (Columbus, Ohio / Hamilton Township) entered the game and recorded all three outs in the inning without yielding any further damage.
  • Notre Dame scored one in the ninth to finish out the game's scoring.
Inside the Game
  • The Beacons drew seven walks, the team's highest total in the last 11 games dating back to seven on March 25 at Purdue and tied for the team's most in the last 21 games.  
  • The Irish held a 12-3 edge in the hit column.
  • Senior Connor Giusti (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd) reached base four times via three walks and a hit by pitch.
  • Kiser has pitched scoreless innings in each of his last two outings and was charged with a run in only one of his four appearances this season.
Up Next
The Beacons (8-23) will face a quick turnaround with this weekend's conference series beginning on Thursday due to the Easter holiday. Valpo and Murray State will match up at 3 p.m. on ESPN+ to begin the set at Emory G. Bauer Field.
 
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