Three scoreless, hitless innings from opener Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) set the tone, and the offense scored early and often as the Valparaiso University baseball team prevailed 9-2 in Friday's series opener with Bradley at Emory G. Bauer Field. The Beacons started a weekend in winning fashion for the first time this season, improved to 2-1 in the last three games including a Big Ten victory and moved to within one win of matching last season's overall win total.
 
How It Happened

• The Beacons befriended the single tally in the early going, scoring precisely once in each of the first three frames. Cal Schembra (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) grounded out to drive in a run in the first, Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) had a shallow sacrifice fly in the second and Louie Kegerreis (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional) doubled home a run in the third.
• Guazzo pitched three shutout innings, retiring the first eight Bradley batters of the game before issuing a two-out walk in the third. He did not yield a hit during his start.
• Righty Justin Bultemeier (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) relieved Guazzo in the fourth and worked around a leadoff double as Bradley stranded a pair.
• Valpo scored for the fourth consecutive inning, this time putting up its first crooked number of the day. An inning that started with two outs and nobody on base saw Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) rip a run-scoring single before another run came around to score on a wild pitch, building the Valpo lead to 5-0.
• Bultemeier flipped another goose egg in the fifth before the Braves finally got on the board with a solo shot to lead off the sixth, making it 6-1. Bultemeier stayed on for a fourth inning of work in the seventh and retired the side in order.
• The Braves had their best chance to get back in the game in the top of the eighth. Spencer Boynton's (Tampa, Fla. / Seffner Christian) day on the mound began with a double, hit batter and walk, and he faced a bases-loaded, no-out jam. However, the righty wiggled out of trouble, recording back-to-back strikeouts before a line drive to third ended the inning with the five-run lead intact.
• Valpo put it away in the bottom of the eighth, scoring four times including a hustle, infield single by Schembra that plated a pair. Kegerreis also ripped an RBI single as part of the prosperous inning.
• Bradley picked up one but nothing more in the top of the ninth, and Boynton finished out the series-opening victory.

Inside the Game

• Valpo started a weekend with a victory for the first time this season, as the Beacons were 0-8 in the opening game of each weekend this season prior to Friday's victory. Dating back to last season, Valpo had dropped 16 straight weekend openers (15 straight series openers if you exclude the weekend where Valpo played three different opponents this season instead of a traditional weekend series) dating back to March 21, 2025, an 8-3 win at Indiana State.
• Valpo outhit Bradley 11-6, led by Sullivan's 3-for-3 day. He matched a season high with three knocks, equaling his previous best from March 22 at Murray State.
• Redshirt senior Gavin Bennett (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) had a pair of hits and scored a season-high three runs.
• Kegerreis had his second multi-hit game of the season and first since Feb. 20 at Wofford.
• Bultemeier covered a season-high four innings and allowed one run on three hits, while Guazzo had his sixth scoreless outing of the season and his first outing in which he did not yield a hit.
• Valpo and Bradley are now an even 12-12 against one another in 24 matchups since Valpo joined the Missouri Valley Conference.

Up Next
The Beacons (9-20, 2-5 MVC) will continue the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. by hosting Bradley at Emory G. Bauer Field. The game will air on ESPN+.