The Valpo softball team returned home for the first time in two weekends Saturday for an MVC doubleheader against visiting Missouri State, but the Bears came away with 8-3 and 8-0 victories.

How It Happened – Game One

• Missouri State scored a pair of two-out runs in the first inning, and then added two more runs in the second inning on an infield grounder to go up 4-0.
• Valpo cut the Bears’ advantage in half in the bottom of the third. Junior Taylor Herschbach (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) led off the inning with an infield single and came around to score on an RBI grounder from freshman Alexis Johnson (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central). On that same play, pinch-runner Regi Hecker (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Blue Springs South) took advantage of MSU miscues to score and make it 4-2.
• Valpo had the potential tying runs on base later in that inning with one out, but back-to-back outs kept the deficit at two runs.
• Missouri State posted three runs on four hits in the top of the fifth to extend its lead to 7-2, and added its final tally on a run in the top of the seventh.
• Valpo capped the scoring in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back two-out hits, as senior Addi Burke (Mesquite, Texas/John Horn) extended the game with a two-out single and scored on an RBI double from freshman Ashlyn Betz (Alton, Ill./Alton).

How It Happened – Game Two

• The Bears took the lead in their first at-bat with a pair of runs.
• MSU added five runs in the third and one in the fifth for the final margin.
• Junior Jaina Westphal (Waterford, Wis./Burlington) knocked a one-out single up the middle in the bottom of the third for Valpo’s lone hit of the game.

Inside the Games

• Westphal posted three hits over the doubleheader, going 2-for-3 in the opener before tallying a base knock in the nightcap.
• Betz (double, HBP) and sophomore Ryan Milkowski (Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) [single, walk] each reached base twice in the opener as well.
• Valpo turned a double play in both of Saturday’s games.

Next Up

Valpo will conclude its three-game series against the Bears with a single game from the Valpo Softball Complex on Sunday morning, with first pitch slated for 11 a.m.