Facing a league-leading Belmont team which is receiving votes in national top-25 polls and its All-American arm in the circle in Maya Johnson Friday, the Valpo softball team hung around in the series opener at the Valpo Softball Complex, trailing just 1-0 through five innings before the Bruins pulled away in the late innings for a 7-0 victory.
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How It Happened
- Belmont scored in its first turn at bat, taking advantage of a Valpo error to plate an unearned run.
- Valpo starting pitcher Caitlyn Quickle (Leesburg, Ohio/Fairfield Local) did well to pitch around runners the next few innings, as Belmont did not score another run off of her. The sophomore got out of a second and third, one out situation in the second, got back-to-back outs with two on and one out in the third and pitched around a leadoff double in the fourth.
- Valpo's first 14 batters were retired in order before Cadan Brinkman (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community [Campbell/Wofford]) connected on a two-out single to left center in the bottom of the fifth.
- Belmont broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning and added two more tallies in the seventh for the final margin.
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Inside the Game
- Brinkman's two-out single in the fifth turned out to be the Beacons' lone baserunner. She has now hit safely in Valpo's last three MVC games.
- Despite getting stuck with the tough-luck loss to fall to 2-3 on the year, Quickle had another quality outing in the circle. Coming off 2.2 shutout innings Wednesday at Notre Dame, Quickle gave up just one unearned run in four-plus innings of work Friday, striking out four.
- Quickle has now gone 9.2 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. Her season ERA has dropped nearly a run and a half in that stretch.
- Jenna Flessner (Washington, Ill./Washington) saw her first collegiate action in the circle Friday, tossing the seventh inning.
- After playing errorless softball on Wednesday in their win at Notre Dame, the Beacons committed a season-worst four errors Friday.
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Next Up
Valpo (16-21, 4-10 MVC) closes the series with the Bruins with a Saturday doubleheader at the Valpo Softball Complex. First pitch of game one is slated for noon.