Valparaiso University

The Valparaiso University baseball team loves one-run games.
 
At least it did on Friday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field, as the no-quit Beacons erased the ghosts of multiple close losses over the course of the season by basking in the glory of being on the right side of late-inning dramatics, as Valpo scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to stun Evansville 6-5 behind a walk-off single by redshirt senior Eli Riley (Zanesville, Ind. / Norwell).
 
How It Happened

• Valpo starting pitcher Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) retired the first six Purple Aces that he faced, but he ran into some trouble in the third, permitting an RBI double and sac fly that allowed UE to take a 2-0 lead.
• Back-to-back walks plagued the Beacons in the fourth as both of those runners came around to score to make it 4-0.
• One swing from freshman Cal Schembra (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) started the Valpo scoring in the bottom of the fifth, as he led off the inning with a home run that sailed over 400 feet to straightaway center to make it 4-1.
• Back-to-back doubles started the top of the sixth as the Purple Aces got that run right back to make it 5-1.
• Redshirt senior Justin Bultemeier (Decatur, Ind. / Adams Central) was summoned from the bullpen with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the sixth with Valpo already trailing 5-1. The right-hander retired three straight men to escape the inning without further damage.
• In the bottom of the sixth, junior Brayden Pleau (Appleton, Wis. / Kimberly) grounded a two-out, two-run single through the left side to make it a 5-3 game.
• After stranding two inherited runners in the sixth, Bultemeier remained sharp over the next three innings. In total, he worked four frames and faced one over the minimum, retiring 12 of the 13 batters who opposed him, and the only one that reached against him came on a bouncer past the mound that took a bit of a funky hop past Bultemeier and ended up going as an infield single to short.
• Thanks to the excellent work of Bultemeier on the mound, Valpo stayed within striking distance as the score remained 5-3 until the bottom of the ninth. Schembra stroked a single to center to start the inning, then Pleau doubled to left center to put the potential tying run at second with nobody out. A ground out to short scored a run, but the tying run stayed at second with one away.
• Redshirt senior Gavin Bennett (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) came through with a game-tying double to left center, evening the score at five. After a strikeout for the second out, Evansville intentionally walked Michael Kuska (Pontiac, Ill. / Pontiac Township) to get to Riley, and inserted a new pitcher to face him with the game on the line. Riley ripped a clean single to left center, allowing Bennett to trot home from third with the game's winning run.

Inside the Game

• Riley had Valpo's first walk-off hit since Kevin Denty singled to beat Illinois State on April 6, 2025.
• This marked Valpo's first successful late-inning comeback this season, as Valpo was previously 0-28 when trailing after six innings. Prior to Saturday, Valpo was 1-48 when trailing after eight innings in 2025 and 2026 combined.
• Valpo was 0-20 this season when the opposing team scored first prior to breaking through with a win on Friday.  
• Valpo improved to 2-11 in one-run games this season, improving to 1-6 in league games decided by a single tally.
• Bultemeier picked up the victory after tying a season-high with four innings pitched, equaling his effort from April 10 vs. Bradley.
• Guazzo issued an uncharacteristic three walks, snapping a streak of four straight starts without a walk, a stretch where he struck out 18 and walked none.
• Schembra's seventh home run of his freshman season moved him into a tie for the team lead.
• Pleau went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead the team.
• Valpo over doubled Evansville's hit total, outhitting the Purple Aces 11-5.
• The Beacons also played stout defense in a game that was errorlessly played on both sides.
• Valpo clinched a higher overall win total than last season with the win on Friday.
• The Beacons have won back-to-back home games as this was the first Emory G. Bauer Field contest since the 5-2 victory over Belmont on April 26.
• The Beacons need one more victory this weekend to secure their first series victory over the Purple Aces since Valpo's first season in the MVC in 2018.

Up Next
The Beacons (11-34, 4-15 MVC) will look to Lock up a series win on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field. Admission is free and the game will air on ESPN+. There will be free Papa John's Pizza for Valpo students, plus free shirts and a gift-card raffle.