Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Valparaiso’s baseball team ran its home winning streak to 10 straight games at Emory G. Bauer Field on Tuesday afternoon, defeating IPFW 14-4.  The Crusaders took advantage of a pair of seven run innings to pull away.

Austen Siwiec (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) pitched six strong innings for his first victory since 2008 and Paul Heinkel (Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran Academy) had three hits and drove in two runs to lead the offense.  Steven Scoby (Delton, Mich./Delton Kellogg H.S.) drove home three runs as Valpo scored 10 or more runs for the fourth time in the last six games.

The Crusaders took advantage of wildness from IPFW pitchers in the second, scoring seven times with just two hits.  Three hit batsmen in the inning along with a pair of walks and an error aided the Crusader attack.  Kyle Gaedele (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows H.S.) added a big two-run triple to put Valpo up 7-0.

"We took advantage of their mistakes again and had some good at bats," head coach Tracy Woodson said.

The Mastodons scored a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly before the Brown and Gold put up another seven spot in the fourth.  Robby Robinson (Brea, Calif./Olinda H.S.), who extended his hitting streak to 15 straight games, had a two-run single while Heinkel added a two-run double.  The Crusaders took advantage of three more walks and another hit batsman in the inning to break the game wide open.

IPFW (7-27) added a solo homerun by Jordan Kohler in the fifth and tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth to close out the scoring.

Siwiec scattered three hits and allowed just two runs in six innings for the win (1-2), striking out four and walking three.  Samuel Walker suffered the loss (2-5) for IPFW, allowing six runs, four of which were earned, on just one hit. He walked two and hit three.

"Siwiec can be effective when he throws the ball over the plate and he did that today," Woodson added.

Valparaiso (17-19), winners of six straight overall, will return to Horizon League action on Friday afternoon, hosting Wright State in a doubleheader.  First pitch is set for 12 p.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field.

"This is a big weekend for us," Woodson concluded.  "We will find out just how good we are."