On a cool and windy, yet sunny, day in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, the Valpo softball team split a Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader at Drake, taking the opener 6-3 before falling 5-1 in the nightcap. Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) had five hits over the two games, Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) cracked the program's single-season top-10 charts for home runs and RBIs and Kayla Purdy (Matthews, N.C./Porter Ridge) earned her first collegiate victory in the circle.
 
How It Happened – Game One

• The Beacons wasted little time getting on the scoreboard Saturday, as Vrastil led off the game with a double and eventually scored on a two-out single from Cadan Brinkman (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community [Campbell/Wofford]).
• The Bulldogs got the run right back in their half of the first, plating an unearned tally.
• Drake took the lead with a single run in the bottom of the third on a squeeze bunt, but what's good for the goose is good for the gander. In the top of the fourth, Gallagher led off with a walk and pinch-runner Addie Young (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) came around to score on a squeeze bunt of Valpo's own by Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central).
• The Bulldogs countered with a leadoff homer in their half of the fourth to regain the one-run advantage at 3-2.
• Valpo took full advantage of back-to-back Drake errors to lead off the top of the fifth, as with two outs, Gallagher stepped to the plate and drove a 1-0 pitch through the wind to left field for a three-run homer, giving the Beacons the 5-3 lead.
• The Beacons added an insurance run in the sixth, as Lana Tellez (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) worked a full-count walk as a pinch-hitter to lead off the frame and later scored on an RBI groundout from Marissa Jackson (Willis, Mich./Huron).
• Drake got the potential tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Caitlyn Quickle (Leesburg, Ohio/Fairfield Local) recorded the key second out via the strikeout, and Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) entered in relief and got a first-pitch flyout to keep the Bulldogs off the board. Lopez pitched around a one-out walk in the seventh to close out the win.

 
How It Happened – Game Two

• The bottom of the first inning proved to be the decisive frame in the nightcap. Valpo looked like it would get out of the inning with no Drake damage, as it got a foul pop-up with two outs. But the combination of the wind and sun kept it from being caught, and the Bulldogs took full advantage, as Pearson Hall and Ava Husak connected on back-to-back homers to give Drake a 3-0 lead.
• The Beacons got a run back in the top of the second on a two-out RBI single from Jenna Flessner (Washington, Ill./Washington).
• Drake loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the third, but Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) induced a fly ball to right field to keep it a two-run game.
• Valpo had a pair of strong scoring chances in back-to-back innings, putting runners on second and third with one out in the fifth and first and second with nobody out in the sixth, but was unable to take advantage of either opportunity.
• Drake closed the scoring in its half of the sixth, as the Beacons committed two errors on a single play which allowed two Bulldogs to score.

 
Inside the Games

• Valpo is now 3-2 against Drake over the next two seasons after entering last year just 1-19 in program history against the Bulldogs.
• Saturday's results mark the fourth time in six three-game MVC weekend series this year that the Beacons have won the opening game of the doubleheader on day one before falling in the nightcap.
• With her three-run homer in the opener, Gallagher moved into Valpo's single-season top-10 in a pair of categories. With nine homers, she is tied for eighth in a season in program history, while her 39 RBIs are tied for ninth.
• Gallagher reached base a total of three times in the opener, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. She moved up to fifth place on Valpo's single-season walks chart as well, as she now has 32 free passes this year.
• Vrastil finished with five hits over the day's two games, going 3-for-4 in the opener with two runs scored and followed with a 2-for-4 effort in the nightcap. The sophomore has tallied multiple hits in 20 games this year.
• Vrastil connected on a double in each of Saturday's games, giving her 13 two-baggers this year — one shy of the program's single-season top-10 list.
• Garnica and Brinkman each went 2-for-3 in the opener for their sixth and fifth multi-hit games this season, respectively.
• Jackson finished the nightcap 2-for-3, her seventh multi-hit game this year.
• Four Valpo pitchers combined to toss the seven innings in the opening win, with Purdy earning her first collegiate win (1-2) with two innings of relief work, striking out three.
• Lopez got the final four outs of the win for her fifth save of the year, tied for fourth on the program's single-season chart.
• Quickle took the loss in the nightcap, falling to 2-5 as she started and tossed the first inning-plus. McDermott and Purdy each threw two innings of shutout relief in the nightcap.

 
Next Up
Valpo (17-26, 5-15 MVC) closes out the series with the Bulldogs with a single game Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.