The Valparaiso University baseball team dropped Sunday’s rubber match to Belmont 15-8 on a sunny and warm Sunday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field. Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) and Carson Husmann (Hanna, Ind. / South Central [Bradley]) slugged ninth-inning home runs, but it was too little too late in a game where Belmont built up a 10-run lead by the fifth inning.

How It Happened

• Belmont scored a pair in the opening inning, but Valpo got those right back in the bottom of the frame as Schmack scored on a wild pitch and Liam Patton (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw [Wabash]) singled through the right side to tie the game at two.
• The Bruins posted their second crooked number in as many innings in the second, taking the lead with a three spot.
• Belmont tacked on one in the fourth and poured on six in the fifth to open up a 12-2 lead.
• Valpo dodged the 10-run rule by scoring two unearned runs in the sixth and picked up another unearned tally thanks to a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.
• A sac fly and a solo homer allowed Belmont to extend the lead to 14-5 through eight. A solo shot in the top of the ninth widened the gap back to 10 at 15-5.  
• Schmack and Husmann had the aforementioned home runs in the ninth with Husmann’s coming with a runner aboard.

Inside the Game

• Valpo produced 11 hits and nine walks but gave up 17 hits and seven walks.
• Junior Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) had three hits to pace the team, while Schmack, Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran), Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central) had two apiece. Schmack was on base five times with two hits, two walks and a hit by pitch.
• Schmack’s home run was his 11^th of the season and the 29^th of his collegiate career. He is one away from tying Jake Skrine’s home run total from last season for the most by a Valpo player in a single season since 2002. Schmack also notched his 43^rd career double, lifted his walk total to 96 and upped his career hit total to 203.
• Husmann’s homer was his fourth of the season and the 24^th of his collegiate career combined between his time at Bradley and Valpo.

Up Next

Valpo (11-22, 3-9 MVC) will visit Notre Dame on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. CT / 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on ACC Network Extra with links to live video and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com.