The Valparaiso University football team shares Pioneer Football League affiliation with Presbyterian, and the Beacon baseball team prevailed in a score that would be more fitting for the gridiron on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Valpo offense racked up 20 hits, scoring at least three runs in five different innings as part of a 21-9 clubbing of the host Blue Hose with the wind howling out to left field in Clinton, S.C. The Beacons took two of three while facing three different opponents this weekend in The Palmetto State. Michael Kuska (Pontiac, Ill. / Pontiac Township) led the way on Sunday with four hits, four runs scored, two walks, six RBIs and two triples.
 
How It Happened

• The high-scoring tone was established early, as each team scored three runs in the opening inning. Brayden Pleau (Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly) had an RBI double and Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) a two-run double for the Beacons, while the Blue Hose had a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning.
• Presbyterian took a 4-3 lead with an unearned run in the third, then the Beacons picked up an unearned tally of their own on an RBI single by Kuska to tie the game at four.
• A fourth-inning solo homer gave PC a short-lived 5-4 lead, but Valpo posted a seven-run fifth inning. Thomas Cooper (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) had an RBI double, Kuska delivered a bases-clearing triple and Pleau homered as part of the monster frame.
• Presbyterian sliced a six-run lead in half with a three-run bomb in the bottom of the fifth, pulling to within 11-8.
• A two-run triple by George Betevis (Hanover Park, Ill. / Bartlett) highlighted a three-run sixth that saw the Valpo lead increase back to six at 14-8.
• Just for good measure, the Beacons scored seven more over the final two innings. They got three in the eighth including an RBI double by Javin Gauthier (De Pere, Wis. / De Pere) and two-run single by Cal Schembra (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove). PC picked up one in the bottom of the eighth, but a four-run ninth for the Beacons finished the scoring. Louie Kegerreis (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional) and Gauthier drove in runs with singles, while Kuska's second triple of the game plated a pair.

Inside the Game

• This marked the second time in the last nine games dating back to last season that Valpo surpassed 20 runs, as the squad put up 24 on May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois.
• Sunday marked the team's highest run total in a road game since May 8, 2005, a 21-1 victory at Oakland.
• The team's 20 hits on Sunday were its most since May 13, 2016 at Youngstown State (21).
• Kuska became the first Valpo player with two triples in a game since Angel DiFederico on Feb. 25, 2021 at Alabama A&M.
• Kuska's six RBIs were the most by a Valpo player since Case Sullivan on May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois.
• Six Beacons had multi-hit games including Gauthier and Schembra with three apiece.
• Gauthier had multiple hits in each game this weekend, finishing the weekend at 8-for-12 with six runs scored, two doubles, a home run, five walks and eight RBIs.
• Schembra's three hits tied a season high and he already has 12 hits, 12 RBIs and nine runs scored in his first seven collegiate contests.
• The team had nine extra-base hits and drew 11 walks on Sunday. The team has double-figure walk totals in three of its first seven games, and the 11 against the Blue Hose marked a season high.
• The six doubles were the team's most since May 16, 2025 vs. Southern Illinois (also six) and the three triples were the team's most since Feb. 25, 2022 at Alabama A&M (also three).
• Valpo has scored at least nine runs in three straight games and four of its last five.
• On the pitching side, redshirt senior Justin Bultemeier (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) worked two scoreless innings and Dalton Swinehart (Elkhart, Ind. / Concord) tossed a shutout frame. They helped the Beacons hold the Blue Hose to one run over the final four innings on a tough day to pitch.

Up Next
The Beacons (3-4) will visit Alabama State for a three-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. in Montgomery, Ala. A video stream is expected to be available on the Hornets Sports Network.