The Valpo softball team had five players tally multiple hits Saturday afternoon on a picture-perfect day in Normal, Ill., but it wasn’t enough for the Beacons to come out victorious as host Illinois State picked up an 8-3 win.

How It Happened

• Valpo took its first lead of the series in the top of the first, as sophomore Kam Utendorf (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove [Black Hawk College]) beat out an infield single with one out and eventually scored on an Illinois State error.
• After the Beacons’ defense stranded four ISU baserunners through the first two innings, the Redbirds broke through in the bottom of the third, plating four runs on four hits. ISU added a two-out RBI single in the fourth to make it a 5-1 game.
• Valpo cut the deficit in half in the top of the fifth. After sophomore Lyna Vasquez (Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View) worked a full-count walk, senior Kayla Skapyak (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) and Utendorf tallied infield singles to load the bases with one out. Senior Regi Hecker (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Blue Springs South) delivered in the clutch, taking a two-strike pitch the other way with a liner to left-center to score two, bringing the Beacons within 5-3.
• Later in the inning, a single from senior Emily Crompton (Salem, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) loaded the bases with two outs as Valpo looked to tie the game or take the lead, but a sharp grounder to third ended the frame.
• A snag of a hard one-hopper at third by sophomore Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) in the bottom of the fifth turned into a rundown which eliminated ISU’s lead runner for the second out of the inning, leaving the Beacons one out away from entering the sixth inning trailing by just two. But the next four Redbird batters tallied base hits, scoring three runs for the final margin.

Inside the Game

• Valpo racked up 11 hits Saturday afternoon, its fourth effort this year with at least 10 base knocks.
• The 11 hits were spread over just five hitters, all of whom tallied at least two base hits. It marked the second time this year the Beacons have had five players with multi-hit games in a single game, as they did so as well in the Feb. 18 win over Youngstown State.
• Leading the way was Crompton, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI out of the five spot in the order. It was the first three-hit game of Crompton’s career and just her second multi-hit game.
• With her three hits on Saturday, Crompton is now hitting a team-best .321 in Valley play.
• Utendorf and Hecker each went 2-for-4 hitting back-to-back in the second and third spots in the batting order, with Utendorf scoring a run and Hecker driving in a pair. Hecker owns a team-high nine multi-hit games this year, while Utendorf is right behind her with eight such contests.
• Looking at the other end of the order, freshman Kayden Krug (Milford, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) was 2-for-3 on Saturday while hitting seventh and Skapyak turned the lineup over with a 2-for-3 game out of the nine spot. Skapyak has tallied multiple hits five times this year, while Krug has four multi-hit games to her credit.
• Despite all their hits, the Beacons were just 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while the Redbirds finished the game 6-for-17 in such situations.
• Senior Caitlyn Kowalski (Temperance, Mich./Notre Dame Academy) took the loss in the circle for the Beacons, throwing the first three innings, while freshman Sydney McDermott (Stout, Ohio/Portsmouth West) tossed the final three frames.

Next Up

Valpo (8-26, 2-11 MVC) closes out its three-game set at Illinois State on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is slated for noon.