Box Score The Valparaiso University baseball team turned the program's first triple play since 2015 and launched a pair of home runs, but host Washington prevailed 6-3 on Thursday night at Husky Ballpark in Seattle. Cal Schembra (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) and Case Sullivan (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) cracked home runs for the Beacons.
 
How It Happened

• Washington scored twice on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single in the bottom of the first, but the Beacons turned the rare triple play to get out of the inning without further damage.
• With the bases loaded and nobody out, Washington's Blake Wilson bounced one back to the mound, and pitcher Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) threw home for the force, then catcher Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell) fired on to first for the second out. A Washington runner tried to score from second on the throw to first, and the return throw from Schembra to Riley easily cut down the runner to complete the triple play.
• Washington led off the bottom of the third with a solo homer to extend the lead to 3-0.
• Schembra connected on a drive that carried over the right-field wall for a solo home run in the fourth, getting the Beacons on the board at 3-1.
• A bases-loaded hit by pitch and a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth accounted for two Washington runs as the Huskies expanded the lead to four at 5-1.
• Valpo got the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh thanks to two walks and a hit batter, but stranded the bags full as Washington escaped the inning still on top 5-1.
• The Huskies added a run on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-1.
• The Beacons got back within four in the top of the eighth as Brayden Pleau (Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly) made Washington pay for two walks with a two-out, run-scoring single to make it 6-2.
• At the stroke of midnight back home, Sullivan powered one 365 feet over the left-field wall just past the pitch clock to make it 6-3. That stood as the game's final score.

Inside the Game

• The triple play was Valpo's first since April 12, 2015, when pitcher Ben Mahar came in with two on and nobody out and Valpo leading by six in the top of the seventh against Oakland. As the legend goes, head coach Brian Schmack gave the ball to Mahar and said, "Might as well turn the first triple play in program history." Two pitches later, Schmack's tongue-in-cheek remark became a reality as shortstop Spencer Mahoney let the ball bounce on a soft line drive, gloved it on a short hop, fed Jeff Edwards for the force at second, then Edwards tagged future big leaguer Michael Brosseau for the second out and then threw to first for the triple play.
• Schembra's home run was his fourth of the season.
• Schembra had a pair of extra-base hits, as he also recorded a double, his seventh of the season, moving into a tie for the team lead.
• After not homering in his first 21 games of the season, Sullivan went deep for the second straight game on Thursday. He has nine home runs over his two seasons at Valpo.
• Valpo has played three different Big Ten teams in the last 10 days, and all three games have been decided by four runs or fewer.
• Valpo batters struck out a season-high 17 times on Thursday. There was some traffic on the bases for the Beacons, who drew six walks and had a hit batter to go along with five hits.
• The bullpen played a big role in keeping it close, as Justin Bultemeier (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) and Christian Hack (Oak Forest, Ill. / Tinley Park) combined to cover 4 2/3 innings while allowing just one run.

Up Next
The Beacons (7-18) and Huskies will continue the series on Friday night at 9 p.m. CT in Seattle. The game will air on B1G+.