Crusaders Best Boilermakers in West Lafayette
A strong start by Grant Inman set the stage, three hits by Chad Jacob (Irvine, Calif. / Woodbridge) helped the cause and a scoreless ninth by freshman Jon Tieman (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Prairie Ridge) sealed the deal as the Valparaiso University baseball team dispatched instate Big 10 foe Purdue 5-1 on Wednesday night in West Lafayette. This marked the first time since 1977 the Crusaders won at Purdue, and they’ve now captured back-to-back wins against the Boilermakers after a triumph at Emory G. Bauer Field last May.
How It Happened
- The Crusaders mounted an early threat in the opening inning as a double steal helped Jacob and James Stea (Los Alamitos, Calif. / Los Alamitos [Golden West]) advance to second and third with one away, but back-to-back strikeouts allowed Purdue starter Tanner Schumacher to escape unscathed.
- Valpo grabbed the lead by scoring twice in the third. A pair of wild pitches helped Jacob scoot from second to the dish for the first Valpo run, then Jake Hanson (Yorkville, Ill. / Aurora Christian) grounded a run-scoring single to short that drove in Nate Palace (Westlake Village, Calif. / Oaks Christian) and made it 2-0.
- In the bottom of the third, Purdue’s Harry Shipley looped a two-out single to left and Logan Poisall tried to score. However, Valpo left fielder Patrick Donohue (Arlington Heights / Prospect) made a strong throw to the dish and Kapers applied the tag on Poisall to end the inning and keep it 2-0 Valpo.
- Jacob ripped his third hit of the game in the fourth, a sharp single up the middle that allowed Chase Dawson (Chesterton, Ind. / Andrean) to trot across the dish. Dawson had rapped a double down the left field line to lead off the frame.
- Palace followed Jacob’s run-scoring hit by drilling a single through the center of the diamond that permitted Stea to score from second and build Valpo’s lead to four.
- An infield single and an error on the Crusaders gave the Boilermakers their best chance of the day in the bottom of the fourth, but Jacob made a nice play to start a 6-4-3 double play that ended the inning.
- The Boilermakers got on the board in the bottom of the fifth as Alec Olund singled through the left side to drive in a run. However, Inman prevented further damage when he induced another inning-ending twin killing, this time 5-4-3.
- Montana Quigley (Lake Forest, Calif. / El Toro) was summoned from the Valpo bullpen for a critical moment in the game. Inman exited with two outs and the bases full in the sixth with Valpo leading 4-1. Quigley notched a significant strikeout to end the inning.
- Olund stroked a sharp single to left and swiped second in the seventh, but Quigley struck out Mike Madej swinging to end the threat as Purdue left the runner stranded at second.
- Donohue stroked a single down the left field line to drive in Sam Shaikin (West Hills, Calif. / Chatsworth) in the top of the eighth.
- The game’s ending was not for the faint of heart, as the Boilermakers packed the bags against Tieman in the bottom of the ninth. However, the rookie righty induced a 4-6-3 double play to secure the victory. The Valpo defense turned three double plays in the victory.
Inside the Game
- Jacob’s multi-hit game was his sixth of the season in just 11 games played. Wednesday marked his first three-hit game of the 2017 campaign. He had not enjoyed a three-hit day since his freshman year, when he had three such days in 2015.
- Jacob boosted his hitting streak to 11.
- Shaikin has reached base in seven straight games.
- Palace racked up his 10th multi-hit performance of the year.
- Inman flipped 5 2/3 strong frames, yielding just one run (earned) on six hits and two walks. He grabbed the win to boost his record to 3-2.
- Schumacher lasted 3 1/3 innings and was charged with four earned runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking three. He was hit with the loss to drop to 0-3.
- Valpo has won back-to-back games against the Boilermakers after also beating them 13-10 at Emory G. Bauer Field last May.
- This marked Valpo’s first win at Purdue since May 11, 1977. The Crusaders snapped a 27-game losing streak in games at Purdue.
Next Up
The Crusaders will make the trek to Wichita, Kan. for a three-game weekend series at Wichita State that begins on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. The series will be broadcast on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Links to live video and stats are available on ValpoAthletics.com.
Softball Claims Win Over IUPUI In Home Opener
The Valparaiso University softball team opened its home season on Wednesday afternoon at the Valpo Softball Complex on a winning note, carrying over its offensive prowess from the weekend as the Crusaders scored the first seven runs of the game en route to a 7-3 victory over IUPUI.
How It Happened
- Valpo struck immediately in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore Carly Trepanier (Manteno, Ill./Manteno) drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on a double to the fence in right-center from senior Sam Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East).
- Stewart scored later in that frame on a two-out RBI single from sophomore Jaymee Lawton (Goodyear, Ariz./Desert Edge [Utah Valley]) to give the Crusaders a 2-0 lead through one inning.
- Lawton got Valpo going in the fourth inning as well, leading off the inning with a single back up the middle. Later in the inning, back-to-back infield singles – the second coming from freshman Gabby Magnifico (Elmhurst, Ill./York) – brought Lawton home to push the lead to 3-0.
- The Crusaders put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, courtesy of a seemingly never-ending string of doubles. Trepanier led off with a double to the gap in right-center and scored two batters later on Stewart’s second two-bagger of the game.
- Junior Jenna Stauffenberg (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) lined a first-pitch single the other way to score Stewart and moved up to second on an IUPUI error. Lawton then dropped a double deep down the left-field line to plate Stauffenberg.
- Two batters later, junior Lanie Callaghan (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) hit a fly ball high into a stiff breeze which hung up and then landed harmlessly in the left-field grass for a run-scoring double to push the lead to 7-0.
- IUPUI scored its first run with two outs in the sixth and added a pair of runs in the seventh, but Crusader pitcher Kenzie Grossmann (Perry, Mo./Mark Twain [Morehead State]) induced a flyout with a runner on to close out the win.
Inside the Game
- Valpo tallied 12 hits as a team in the victory over the Jaguars, its third straight game with at least 10 hits and seventh such game of the season.
- The Crusaders ended the game 8-for-16 at the plate with runners in scoring position, matching their highest hit total of the year with RISP in a single game.
- Lawton led the 12-hit attack on Wednesday for the Crusaders, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBIs. The sophomore has posted her first two multi-hit games in a Valpo uniform in the Crusaders’ last two wins, and has driven in nine runs over the last three games.
- Freshman Addison Pixley (Osceola, Ind./Penn), who made her Crusader debut last weekend as a pinch-runner, earned her first career start Wednesday and took full advantage, going 2-for-3.
- Stewart also picked up two hits while scoring two runs and driving in a pair. The senior extended her on-base streak to 23 consecutive games with her first-inning double.
- Trepanier joined Lawton and Stewart with a pair of runs scored, crossing the plate twice for the third consecutive game.
- Grossmann was solid in the circle, going the distance to improve to 8-5 on the year. The junior scattered eight hits and walked just one IUPUI batter while recording 14 groundouts.
Thoughts From Head Coach Kate Stake
“I felt like Kenzie really did a good job maintaining control of the game today. She fed the defense behind her to get 14 groundouts, and also fielded her position well.”
“I was happy to see Addi be able to step right in and play well today. She’s really practiced well recently, and it carried over into the game today. Not only with her production at the plate, but her play in right field – she made a couple nice defensive plays.”
“We got good production today up and down our batting order. We always preach to our hitters to move the line, and we really did that well today. It was really nice in the middle of the game to score in back-to-back innings and keep the momentum on our side.”
Next Up
The Crusaders (15-8) will host Youngstown State in a three-game Horizon League series this weekend at the Valpo Softball Complex. Saturday's doubleheader will now start at 1 p.m., with the series finale slated for noon on Sunday. Links for live video and live stats will be available via ValpoAthletics.com.
Valpo Announces Schedule Changes For Weekend Softball Series
The Valparaiso University softball team has announced changes to the schedule for this weekend's Horizon League series with Youngstown State. The Crusaders will now host YSU for a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m., with the series wrapping up on Sunday with a single game at noon.
Crusader Volleyball to Host Summer Camp
Valparaiso volleyball head coach Carin Avery and the Crusader volleyball program will host its annual summer camp from July 10-13, 2017 at the Athletics-Recreation Center on the Valpo campus. The camp is open to both girls and boys, grades 3-12.
The Crusader volleyball 2017 summer camp offers a strong emphasis on fundamental volleyball skill improvement. Groups will be divided according to ability. Evening sessions incorporate competitive drills and games, leading to the Tournament of Champions.
The cost of the camp is $430 for overnight campers and $350for commuter campers. Campers can find more information about the camp and register online at www.valpovolleyballcamp.com.
