Sunday, March 28, 2004

Indianapolis, Ind. - Tom Starck hurled a complete-game, three-hitter and Ryan Manthei went 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs as Valpo defeated Butler 8-1 in the first game of a doubleheader. The Bulldogs won the nightcap 6-3.

Valpo (3-12) scored seven times in the first three innings. Manthei, a freshman third baseman, belted a two-run home run - his first career roundtripper - in the second inning.

Kevin Kutansky began the scoring with a two-run double in the first. The Crusaders added three more runs in the third on Kevin Perri's two-run single and Manthei's RBI single. Brian Rzepka plated the final tally with an RBI double in the sixth.

Starck (1-4) was outstanding, allowing no earned runs, while striking out eight and walking three.

In the second game, Butler (7-12) used a four-run second to take a 5-1 lead. Valpo's second-inning run came as a result of Kutansky's first homer of the season.

Trailing 6-1, the Crusaders scored twice in the fifth. Troy Garrett hammered his first homer of the campaign and Kutansky added a sacrifice fly - his fourth RBI of the day.

The Bulldogs were led in the nightcap by Joe Dempsey, who went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs.

Adam Paetznick (0-2) started on the mound, allowing two earned runs and seven hits in 3 innings. The senior fanned three and walked four. Patrick Paulus (2 iinings) and Eric Brauer (1) pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way.

Valpo travels to play at Indiana on Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST (2 p.m. CST).