A quality outing by starting pitcher Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) and a late home run by redshirt junior Thomas Cooper (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) were bright spots, but the Valparaiso University baseball team was on the wrong end of a one-run decision, dropping Saturday's middle game 3-2 at SIUE in Edwardsville, Ill.
 
How It Happened

• SIUE struck first in the opening inning as Ryan Niedzwiedz hit a solo homer to center and later in the inning a lost fly ball in the outfield came back to bite the Beacons as that runner came around to score the second run of the frame.
• Center fielder Michael Kuska (Pontiac, Ill. / Pontiac Township) made a nice catch up against the wall to begin the bottom of the second inning, a frame where Lockwood sent down the side in order. Lockwood worked three up, three down again in the third to keep the deficit at two and make it seven straight retired.
• Lockwood faced the minimum again in the bottom of the fourth, which ended with an unassisted double play by Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) on a line drive to shortstop.
• The Cougars added a run with a two-out single in the sixth to extend the lead to 3-0.
• The Beacons got on the board in the top of the seventh as redshirt senior George Betevis (Hanover Park, Ill. / Bartlett) doubled to left, then redshirt senior Gavin Bennett (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) ripped a single down the third-base line to make it 3-1.
• Cooper launched a long home run to lead off the top of the ninth, slicing the SIUE lead in half at 3-2, but that was as close as the Beacons would come.

Inside the Game

• Lockwood allowed three runs on seven hits while walking none and striking out five. He elevated his career strikeout total to 214, three away from cracking the program's all-time top 10.  Lockwood has logged 268 1/3 career innings, on the cusp of cracking the all-time top 10 in that category as well (needs 274 2/3).
• Lockwood has issued only one walk all season against 22 strikeouts. Over his last four starts, he has 19 strikeouts and no walks.
• Cooper's home run was his first of the season and the fifth of his collegiate career.
• Valpo was outhit by a narrow 7-6 count, the second straight day the Cougars led the hit column by a single knock.
• Valpo fell to 1-3 in one-run games this season and 2-12 in one-run games combined between last year and this year.
• Four of Valpo's six hits went for extra bases.
• Neither team issued a walk in the game. This was the second time this season Valpo did not draw a walk and also the second time this season Valpo did not issue a walk.
• Cooper and Bennett had two hits apiece, Bennett's second multi-hit game of the season and Cooper's third.

Up Next
The Beacons (5-10) will conclude the series at 11 a.m. on Sunday against the Cougars. Note that earlier start time due to the weather forecast. Visit valpoathletics.com for a link to live stats.