It was a Happy Easter indeed for the Valparaiso University baseball team as the Beacons downed visiting Bradley 13-2 in seven innings in a game that lasted under two hours on Sunday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field. Valpo put up four runs in the third and broke it wide open with a “touchdown” in the fourth on a day where Carson Husmann (Hanna, Ind. / South Central [Bradley]) delivered a bases-clearing double against his former team and Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) spanked yet another home run to help Valpo to its most lopsided Missouri Valley Conference victory since joining the league.

How It Happened

• Bradley struck first by scoring twice in the second on a sac fly and RBI single. That was the lone damage in three innings against Valpo starter Kaleb Krier (Altoona, Iowa / Southeast Polk [DMACC]), who yielded two runs on just one hit and picked up the win.
• Valpo responded to those two early tallies with the aforementioned four spot in the third. After Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) worked a bases-loaded walk, Husmann cleared the bags with a double down the left-field line that served as one of the game’s big blows and extended the lead to 4-2.
• Valpo poured it on in the fourth, scoring seven times. Liam Patton (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw [Wabash]) and Kaleb Hannahs (West Terre Haute, Ind. / West Vigo) had RBI singles before Schmack belted a home run to left center to up the cushion to seven at 9-2. The inning was still not over as Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran) got in on the act with a two-run double down the left-field line.
• Hannahs helped Valpo move into run-rule territory as he had RBI singles in both the fifth and sixth innings to make it 13-2.
• Lefty Lucas Foley (Deer Park, Ill. / Lake Zurich) had his second straight strong outing out of the bullpen, working three scoreless frames of two-hit ball while striking out four and walking none. Bryce Konitzer (Mukwonago, Wis. / Mukwonago [Oakland]) came on to finish things off by putting an Easter egg on the board in the seventh.

Inside the Game

• Schmack’s home run was his 10^th of the season, marking the second straight year a Beacon has reached double figures in that area. Prior to Jake Skrine’s 12 home runs last season, no Valpo player had boasted a single-season double-figure total since Josh Wallace (11) in 2008.
• The home run was the 28^th of Schmack’s career, the third most in program history. He increased his career RBI total to 116, moving into a tie for ninth in program history, joining Todd Poepard (1996-1999) and Nate Palace (2014-2017).
• Hannahs, who has now reached safely in all 26 games this season, had three hits and drove in three. Schmack also enjoyed a three-hit, three-RBI game.
• Patton and Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) had two hits apiece and each crossed the dish on three occasions.
• Valpo racked up 14 hits for the second straight day. Two of the team’s three highest hit totals this season have come in each of the last two contests.
• The 13 runs marked a season high, outdoing the team’s previous best of 10 on March 8 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at The Citadel. This marked the team’s highest run total since Feb. 26, 2023 at UT Martin (17).
• Valpo pitching yielded a season-low four hits. This was the fewest hits allowed by Valpo pitching since three on May 14 of last season at Belmont.
• The 11-run margin of victory was Valpo’s largest since beating UT Martin 17-4 on Feb. 26, 2023. This was Valpo’s most lopsided Missouri Valley Conference victory since joining the league and the team’s second time invoking the 10-run rule, both against Bradley after winning last year’s series finale 10-0 in Peoria.

Up Next

Valpo (10-16, 2-4 MVC) will host Milwaukee on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Emory G. Bauer Field. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.