Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Five straight singles led to five runs on Tuesday afternoon to help lead Loyola (Ill.) to a 6-0 victory over Valparaiso at the Valparaiso University Softball Field.

The first four innings were a pitching dual, with Amanda Gilbertson (Murrieta, Calif./West Albany H.S., Ore.) and Mia Pangere matching zeros in the runs column.

Loyola found the scoreboard in the fifth, scoring five times keyed by five straight singles and a dropped pop up. The Ramblers added a run in the seventh on three straight hits. Tara Miller had three hits for Loyola to key their 14 hit attack.

Valpo managed just five hits on the afternoon, with the only scoring threat coming in the sixth inning. Bridget Schwoegler (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton H.S.) and Stephanie Reinke (Parker, Colo./J.K. Mullen H.S.) led off with back-to-back singles and eventually advanced to second and third, but could not be pushed across the plate.

Pangere went the distance for Loyola (25-27), striking out two and needing just 66 pitches for her performance. Gilbertson went 6.1 innings, the first 4.1 and the final two, allowing two runs, one earned, and striking out seven. Ashlee Blankenbaker (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) went .2 innings in the fifth, allowing four runs and striking out one.

Valpo (18-29) will look to return to the win column on Friday afternoon with a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader at Western Illinois.