Indiana State took
advantage of a pair of Valparaiso errors in the ninth inning to push across two
runs, which proved to be the difference on Tuesday afternoon as the Sycamores
defeated the Crusaders 3-2 at Emory G. Bauer Field.
Jon Gulbransen (Appleton, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran H.S.)
worked eight innings, allowing just four hits and did not walk any Sycamores,
but suffered the tough luck loss (2-5).
He struck out six, moving into the top-five all-time at Valpo for punch
outs with 225 over his four-year career.
“Gulbransen pitched
well again today,” head coach Tracy
Woodson said. “The two errors in the
ninth hurt. We have to make those plays.”
Gulbransen had
retired 13 straight hitters entering the ninth when Tyler Wampler led off with
a single to right with Valpo leading 2-1.
Two Crusader errors on back-to-back sacrifice bunt attempts loaded the
bases. Koby Kramer tied the game with a
single to center off of reliever Karch
Kowalczyk (Peru, Ill./La Salle-Peru H.S.).
A bases loaded hit by pitch to Jon Hedges with one out then put the
Sycamores on top.
Valpo took the lead
in the third as Michael Morman
(Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic H.S.) led off with a walk and moved to second
on a balk by Indiana State starter Sean Manaea.
After he was sacrificed to third by Andrew Bain (Indianapolis, Ind./Park
Tudor H.S.), he scored on a two out wild pitch.
Indiana State (16-10)
tied the game in the fourth on a two-out home run around the right field foul
pole by Robby Ort.
The Crusaders retook
the lead in the fifth as Bain singled up the middle with two outs. Kyle
Gaedele (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows H.S.) scored Bain by
lining a double into the right field corner, which just stayed fair, and put
Valpo on top 2-1 until the ninth.
Valpo had a chance
to add to the lead in the seventh as Robbie
Robinson (Brea, Calif./Olinda H.S.) led off with a double and moved to
third with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
“We had a guy on
third with the opportunity to make it 3-1,” Woodson added. “We have got to
score him. That would have changed the
situation in the ninth. Situational
parts of the game we don’t perform well at right now.”
Colin Rea earned the
win (6-1) in relief, pitching a scoreless eighth while Chris Machado tossed a
one-two-three ninth for his first save of the year.
The Crusaders
scattered just six hits on the afternoon while Indiana State tallied just five.
Valparaiso (6-21)
will wrap up its five-game homestand on Wednesday afternoon with another non-conference
contest. Wabash will visit Emory G. Bauer
Field with the first pitch set for 3 p.m.