Valparaiso University

The Valpo softball team used a keen eye at the plate, timely hitting and a pair of complete games in the circle to earn a doubleheader sweep at Evansville Friday afternoon, taking down the Purple Aces in run-rule fashion, 13-3, in the opener before earning a 7-1 win in the nightcap.
 
How It Happened – Game One

• Valpo opened the scoring in the top of the second as Grace Hollopeter (Lake Village, Ind./North Newton [Purdue Fort Wayne]) drew a walk to lead off the inning and came around to cross home plate on an Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) double to the left-center gap.
• Evansville took advantage of a pair of Beacon errors in the bottom half of the inning to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead.
• After both teams went down in order in the third, the Beacons took the lead for good with a four-run top of the fourth. Lopez came through with a second consecutive RBI base hit, followed by run-scoring grounders from Sophia Leitzen (Orfordville, Wis./Brodhead), Lillian Martinez (Hemlock, Mich./Hemlock) and Madison Vrastil (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) to go ahead 5-3.
• That set the stage for an explosive fifth inning, as the Beacons scored eight runs on four hits and seven walks. Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) delivered a two-run double after the first three batters of the frame walked to open the scoring and added a bases-loaded walk later in the inning.
• Other runs in the fifth came home on a Lopez sacrifice fly, a Leitzen double, a Vrastil single, a bases-loaded walk drawn by Kaia Garnica (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) and a Hollopeter single as Valpo finished off the inning with a 13-3 lead.
• Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) closed out the run-rule win, retiring three in a row after a leadoff error.

 
How It Happened – Game Two

• Coming off MVC Newcomer of the Week honors last week and a big performance in the series-opening win, Hollopeter stayed hot at the plate in her first at-bat of game two, knocking a two-run single into left field to score Mack Gallagher (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East [MSU Moorhead]) and Garnica to give Valpo a 2-0 lead after its first turn at the plate.
• The Beacons doubled their advantage in the second, courtesy of an RBI grounder from Vrastil and a run-scoring double by Marissa Jackson (Willis, Mich./Huron).
• Valpo pulled off the first-and-third double steal to perfection in the top of the fourth, as Addie Young (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) took off from first, drawing the throw which allowed Kyndal Shively (Bloomington, Ill./University) to steal home and make it 5-0 Beacons.
• The Purple Aces got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI triple.
• Valpo capped the scoring in the seventh on an RBI double from Rodas to score Cici Wilson (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East), while Hollopeter came around to score following Wilson thanks to an Evansville error.

 
Inside the Games

• Valpo will conclude the season with back-to-back series wins.
• With a win on Saturday, the Beacons would earn their first series sweep in conference play since a 2018 sweep of Bradley.
• This marks the second time Valpo has won the season series against Evansville since joining the MVC (2022).
• Friday's pair of wins boosts Valpo's win total to 21 this season, surpassing last season's win total and marking the most for the program since 2018.
• The Beacons scored their 20 runs over Friday's two games on just 15 hits, taking advantage of 14 walks as well. Nine of Valpo's 15 hits in the doubleheader scored runs.
• Valpo drew nine walks in the run-rule win in the opener, the fifth time this season it has earned at least nine free passes.
• The Beacons now have registered 186 walks this year, just five shy of the 2012 team's program record for free passes in a season.
• Valpo's 13 runs in the series opener is the program's single-game high this year and the most in a single game since scoring 15 in a win at UIC last season.
• The Beacons won a game by double digits for the second time this season, as they previously earned an 11-0 win over Detroit Mercy in the season opener.
• Hollopeter remained on a tear at the plate, failing to reach base just once in eight plate appearances on Friday. She was 2-for-2 with two walks, three runs scored and an RBI in the opener before going 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and two RBIs in the nightcap.
• Rodas was perfect as well at the plate in the opener, finishing 1-for-1 with two walks, a sacrifice, two runs scored and three RBIs before adding an RBI double in the nightcap. Defensively, the senior had six assists in the sweep, giving her 306 for her career — tied for 10^th-most in program history.
• Lopez reached base multiple times in both games, going 2-for-5 with two walks, two runs scored and three RBIs over the course of the doubleheader. She also tossed a complete-game five-hitter in the nightcap, striking out seven, to improve to 8-7 on the season.
• Lopez's effort in the circle followed a strong outing from McDermott in the opener, as the latter allowed just four hits and didn't walk a batter to earn the complete-game win for her 10^th win (10-12) of the campaign.
• The Beacons got a pair of complete games in the circle Friday after having just four in their first 49 games this year entering Friday.
• Back to the batters — Vrastil and Leitzen both drove in a pair of runs in the opener, while Gallagher and Garnica both drew two walks, the latter scoring a pair of runs.
• Vrastil cracked the program's single-season top-10 with her 38^th run scored of the season, moved up into a tie for sixth on the single-season hits chart with her 62^nd base knock and stole her 22^nd base of the season, solo seventh in a year in program history.
• Gallagher also reached base twice in the nightcap with a single and a walk. With three walks in Friday's doubleheader, the senior has tallied 39 walks this season — third-most in program history and just one shy of second.
• Young stole three bases over Friday's two wins, bumping her up to 11 swipes this season.

 
Next Up
Valpo (21-30, 9-17 MVC) closes out the 2026 season with the series finale at Evansville Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.