For the third straight weekend, the Valpo softball team opened its Missouri Valley Conference series with a victory, taking down Indiana State in the series opener at the Valpo Softball Complex by a 5-2 final. The Beacons were within two outs of completing the twinbill sweep before the Sycamores connected on a seventh-inning home run to earn a 3-2 win.
 
How It Happened – Game One

• The Sycamores used two walks and a run-scoring single to take the lead in the top of the first. After another free pass, ISU had the bases loaded with one out looking for more, but Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) got a pop-up and a ground ball to keep the Sycamores from adding to their opening tally.
• Valpo responded in a big way in its first turn at the plate. Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) beat out an infield single to open the frame and then advanced to second two batters later on an ISU error, which put two runners on base for Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]). The cleanup hitter took full advantage, hitting a deep fly to left that sent Morgan Goodrich back to the fence. Goodrich reached up at the barrier, but the ball hit off her glove and fell on the far side for a three-run homer for Gallagher, putting Valpo in front, 3-1.
• The Beacons got some key insurance in the bottom of the fourth. Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) drew a one-out walk and Grace Hollopeter (Lake Village, Ind./North Newton [Purdue Fort Wayne]) followed with a first-pitch double to put two in scoring position for Vrastil. The sophomore promptly lined the first pitch she saw into the right-center gap to plate a pair of runs, pushing the lead to 5-1.
• Meanwhile, McDermott was strong in the circle after the first inning, as no ISU baserunner made it past second base from the second through sixth innings. In the seventh, the Sycamores plated a run when a leadoff triple was followed by a sacrifice fly. After a subsequent walk, Lopez was called upon to get the final two outs and did so with a pair of strikeouts to close out the win.

 
How It Happened – Game Two

• The game was scoreless through three innings, thanks in large part to a nice defensive play from Cadan Brinkman (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community [Campbell/Wofford]) at third base in the top of the third. With two on and no out, Brinkman charged to grab a sacrifice attempt in the air and was able to double off the runner at first base.
• ISU opened the scoring in the top of the fourth, as three consecutive two-out singles plated the first run. With two on and two out, Lopez reared back and got a key strikeout to limit the Sycamores to the one run.
• After their first 10 batters of the game had been set down in order, the Beacons got their first baserunner in the fourth inning on a one-out triple from Kayden Krug (Milford, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame). After the second out was recorded, it looked like ISU was preparing to intentionally walk Gallagher, but the first intentional ball was nowhere near where the catcher was expecting it and went all the way to the backstop, as Krug scampered home with the tying run.
• Another chaotic situation in the bottom of the fifth allowed Valpo to pull ahead. Addie Young (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) drew a four-pitch pinch-hit walk to lead off the inning. The first pitch to the next hitter was mishandled by the Sycamore catcher and Young took off for second. The catcher's throw down sailed over second base, and with ISU's center fielder playing in with a slapper at the plate, she didn't have the reaction time or the angle to keep the throw from going all the way to the fence and Young easily came all the way around to score and make it 2-1 Valpo.
• It looked like the two runs would be enough for Lopez in the circle, as she had retired seven of eight ISU hitters after the fourth-inning RBI single. But a leadoff single for the Sycamores proved crucial, as two batters later, Lauren Marsicek hit a homer to straightaway center field to flip the script and make it 3-2 ISU.
• Valpo threatened to earn a walk-off victory in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs on a trio of walks before a diving catch by the ISU center fielder ended the game.

 
Inside the Games

• This is the third straight MVC series where Valpo has won the opener of the first-day doubleheader before dropping the nightcap.
• Vrastil extended her hitting streak to 10 straight games in the opener, as she went 2-for-3 with a walk to reach three times — her seventh multi-hit game of the streak. The hitting streak ended in the nightcap.
• Vrastil also drove in a pair of runs in the win, her third multi-RBI game of the season.
• Gallagher reached twice in the opener, highlighted by her three-run homer. It was her seventh homer of the season and the 30^th of her collegiate career.
• Gallagher also reached via walk in the opener and drew a free pass in the nightcap as well, giving her 27 walks this season — tied for 10^th-most in a single season in program history. She also cracked the program's career top-10 for free passes, ending the day with 63 walks over her two seasons with the Beacons.
• Marissa Jackson (Willis, Mich./Huron) reached twice in the opener as well, picking up a single and a walk.
• McDermott had her longest outing in the circle since Feb. 27 in the opener, going 6.1 innings and giving up just two runs on four hits while striking out seven to improve to 8-7 on the year.
• Lopez picked up her third save of the year and seventh of her Valpo career — tied for third-most in program history — with her back-to-back strikeouts to finish the opener. She took the loss in the nightcap, falling to 5-5 this season despite striking out seven in 6.1 innings.

 
Next Up
Valpo (14-18, 3-7 MVC) closes out the weekend series with the rubber game against Indiana State Sunday at noon.