On a day where the wind was howling out at Emory G. Bauer Field, visiting Murray State breezed by the Valparaiso University baseball team 16-2 in seven innings on Good Friday afternoon. Redshirt junior
Patrick Ilitch (Detroit, Mich. / University Liggett) homered to continue his recent surge and provide a Beacon bright spot.
How It Happened
- The leadoff batter of the game hit a wind-aided home run to make it 1-0 in favor of the guests (or should we say, in favor of the gusts).
- Murray State scored four times in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth to build up a 9-0 lead. It went from bad to worse from a Valpo perspective when the Racers scored seven more in the top of the sixth to make it 16-0.
- Ilitch ripped a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to help the Beacons dodge the shutout, but Valpo could not muster up any further offense.
Inside the Game
- The best work on the mound came from senior Kolt Davis (Johnson, Neb. / Johnson-Brock), who was not charged with any runs in his 1 1/3 innings while working around a hit and two walks. He pitched a scoreless top of the seventh on a day where goose eggs were few and far between.
- Ilitch homered for the second straight game and has four home runs in the last four games. He has six total long balls for the season and seven for his collegiate career.
- Senior Liam Patton (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw) had two of the team's six hits. He owns multiple hit games in each of the first two games in the series and three of his last four.
- Nine of Murray State's 13 hits went for extra bases including two homers and a double by Conner Cunningham, the ninth hitter in the order.
Up Next
The Beacons (8-25, 3-11 MVC) and Racers will round out the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field. Admission is free and the game will air on ESPN+.