Box Score Visiting Bradley evened this weekend's three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at one victory apiece, beating the Valparaiso University baseball team 9-6 on Saturday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field. Junior Louie Kegerreis (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional) and redshirt senior George Betevis (Hanover Park, Ill. / Bartlett) had two hits apiece to lead the Beacons, but Bradley racked up 19 knocks in the victory.
 
How It Happened

• The Beacons started off on the right foot when Brayden Pleau and Kegerreis each laced RBI doubles down the third-base line in the bottom of the first, putting Valpo in front 2-0.
• A home run and a two-out, RBI single in the top of the second leveled the score.
• Bradley took the lead with a two-out, RBI single in the top of the third, but Valpo tied it up when Thomas Cooper (Brentwood, Tenn. / Ravenwood) smoked a 390-foot home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth.
• The Braves scored twice in the top of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead, then squeezed in a run in the top of the sixth to make it 6-3.
• It stayed that way until the top of the eighth, when a two-out single drove in what proved to be an important insurance run for the guests. In the bottom of that inning, Valpo took a bite out of the deficit with three runs as Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) had an RBI bouncer, Cooper scored on a passed ball and Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) added a run-scoring single. Valpo was within a run at 7-6 with the insurance tally in the top of the eighth keeping Bradley in front.
• However, the Braves took the wind out of the sails of the Valpo rally in the top of the ninth when they scored twice, using both small ball and the long ball. Jaxon Schumacher led off the inning with a home run and later the Braves laid down their second successful squeeze bunt of the game to make it 9-6.
• Valpo went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth, ending a lengthy affair that took three hours, 27 minutes to complete.

Inside the Game

• Cooper's home run was his sixth of the season, all in his last 15 games. This marked the 10^th big fly of his collegiate career, all in the last two seasons.
• Valpo pitchers threw strikes throughout the day, as Bradley drew just two walks to Valpo's nine.
• Kegerreis, recently inserted into the lineup as the starting DH, enjoyed his second consecutive multi-hit output.
• Betevis came off the bench to record his two hits, his second multi-hit game of the year and first since Feb. 20 at Wofford.
• Reliever Ryan Kruse (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) accumulated a career-high five strikeouts in his three innings of relief.
• Valpo ace Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) permitted a season-high 12 hits, though he had his usual pinpoint control with just one walk in five innings. He has issued one walk or fewer in eight of his nine starts.
• After tying a season-high with three stolen bases in Friday's series opener, Valpo was 0-for-2 in that category on Saturday, having multiple runners caught stealing in a game for the first time this season.

Up Next
The Beacons (9-21, 2-6 MVC) and Braves will play a rubber match on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field. Admission is free and the game will air on ESPN+.