Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Valparaiso's softball team has concluded its fall season posting a 2-7 record over three weekends.

The Crusaders opened with a doubleheader at Indianapolis, which the Brown and Gold split. The Greyhounds scored three unearned runs in the first three innings of game one on the way to a 3-1 victory, but Valpo rebounded behind a complete-game shutout by Brittany Atteberry in game two for a 7-0 win.

Valpo's next stop was Purdue's Fall Tournament. In the opener against Marian, Valpo fell behind 5-0 before rallying with a five-run sixth inning to tie the contest. The Crusaders could not push another run across the plate though, falling 7-5 in eight innings. In game two, Valpo was scoreless with the host Boilermakers into the sixth inning before a homerun put Purdue in front. Another run in the seventh made the score 3-0 before Valpo loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but could not push a run across.

The Brown and Gold concluded the fall with a 1-4 showing at the IUPUI Tournament. In the opener, Valpo again fell to Marian 9-2. After leading 2-1, the Knights scored five runs in the second on the way to the win. Game two saw Valpo take a 1-0 lead against Ball State in the sixth, only to drop the contest 2-1 in eight innings. Butler also picked up a 3-1 victory over the Crusaders, but Valpo rebounded to defeat IUPUI 2-0. Amanda Gilbertson threw a complete-game four-hitter, and the Crusaders capped off the game turning a triple play. The final game of the tournament saw St. Mary's of the Woods score in the bottom of the seventh to register a 4-3 win over the Brown and Gold.

Freshman Taylor Callahan led Valpo with 11 hits, including three doubles and a homer, while hitting .379 for the fall. The Crusaders were able to play 23 individuals during the season, in preparation for the spring.

?As a coaching staff, we were very pleasedd with our fall schedule and practices," head coach Randy Schneider said. ?We are demanding a lot of our kids to get better. Our goal this fall was simply to start playing like winners, and we felt we accomplished that."

Valparaiso will open their 2004 season March 6-7 at the Indiana State Tournament.