The Valparaiso University baseball team gave host Notre Dame just about all it could handle, but the Fighting Irish fended off the Beacons for a 7-6 victory on Tuesday at Frank Eck Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind. Carson Husmann (Hanna, Ind. / South Central [Bradley]) hit a late three-run shot for the Beacons.

How It Happened

• Valpo starter Kaleb Krier (Altoona, Iowa / Southeast Polk [DMACC]) worked a 1-2-3 first with help from a nifty play by Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, Wis. / Lakeside Lutheran) in center field.
• Notre Dame got three runs in the second to take a 3-0 lead.
• Krier bounced back from the three-run frame to work his second perfect inning of the day in the third, delivering a 1-2-3.
• The Beacons went to the bullpen in the fourth, and righty Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) sent down the Fighting Irish in order, the third time in four innings that Valpo pitching worked a flawless frame.
• A two-out rip by Ryan Maka (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) in the top of the fifth drove in a pair, reducing the Notre Dame lead to one at 3-2.
• The Fighting Irish responded in the bottom of the fifth with two runs of their own including a two-out triple to drive in the second run of the frame and extend the lead back to three at 5-2.
• A leadoff double by Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) started the sixth, then Ryan ripped a single to left and Renfro crossed the plate to cut the lead to 5-3.
• Notre Dame had the bases loaded with only one away in the sixth, but Jake Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill. / Huntley [Heartland]) – who had entered mid-inning amidst a jam – worked out of it with no damage done as the hosts stranded the max. That kept the game very much within reach at 5-3 through six. Valpo had a chance of its own in the bottom of the inning thanks to a one-out double by Alex Thurston (Fowler, Ind. / Benton Central), but he was left at second.
• Notre Dame’s Connor Hincks hit a two-run homer in the seventh to move to within a double of the cycle. That expanded the lead to 7-3.
• Valpo got the tying run to the plate in the eighth, loading the bases with two down, but Notre Dame worked out of it with nothing across.
• A big swing by Husmann made it interesting in the top of the ninth as his three-run jack slimmed the Notre Dame lead to one. However, the Fighting Irish escaped with the win.

Inside the Game

• Husmann’s homer was his third in the last four games after he had two in his first 25 games. This was the 25^th home run of his collegiate career.
• Renfro and Ryan had two hits apiece as part of Valpo’s 10-hit effort. The game was played quite evenly with Notre Dame owning a slight 12-10 edge in the hit column and Valpo owning a 4-3 edge in walks.
• This was Valpo’s seventh one-run game of the season and the team fell to 2-5 in such contests.
• Valpo lost its 16^th straight head-to-head matchup with Notre Dame, but nine of the last 10 meetings have been decided by four runs or fewer.
• Valpo had a prior one-run loss against the Irish – then No. 8 nationally – on April 27, 2021 by a score of 8-7. Valpo also fell 4-3 in 2019 and 6-5 in 2018 but hasn’t been able to get over the hump against its instate foe.
• Valpo’s last three one-run losses have all come against stiff competition – one power-5 opponent (Notre Dame), one nationally-ranked opponent (Campbell) and one nationally-ranked power-5 opponent (Vanderbilt.)

Up Next

Valpo (11-23) will begin a three-game weekend series on Friday at 3 p.m. against Missouri State at Emory G. Bauer Field. The game will air on ESPN+ with links to live video and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com.