The Valparaiso University softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader in Missouri Valley Conference play Sunday afternoon at the Valpo Softball Complex against UNI, falling to the Panthers 5-0 in the opener and 7-3 in the nightcap.

How It Happened – Game One

• The Crusaders were limited to just one hit in the opener – a two-out single in the fourth inning from freshman Brittany Anderson (East Chicago, Ind./Bishop Noll).
• Anderson was also the only Valpo player to reach scoring position in the game, as she drew a walk to lead off the second inning and moved up to second on a wild pitch before being stranded there.
• UNI scored the lone run it would need on its third batter of the game, an unearned tally thanks to a Valpo error. The Panthers added two runs in the third and got a two-run homer from Sammey Bunch in the seventh to finish the scoring.

How It Happened – Game Two

• After being shut out in the opener, the Crusaders threatened in each of their first two turns at the plate in the nightcap. Sophomore Morgan Matalin (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) picked up a one-out double in the first, while in the second, Anderson led off with a single and moved up to second on a UNI error. Both times, however, the runners were left in scoring position.
• UNI took control with a five-run third inning, plating the runs on four hits and a pair of Valpo errors. Four of the Panthers’ five runs ended up being unearned tallies.
• Valpo cracked the scoreboard for the first time on the day in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Lanie Callaghan (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) reached on an error with one out and eventually came around to score on a base knock through the left side from senior Stephanie Moreno (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) to make it a 5-1 game.
• UNI’s Adara Opiola connected on a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to extend the Panther advantage to 7-1.
• But the Crusaders answered immediately. Matalin led off the bottom of the seventh with a first-pitch single, and junior Carly Trepanier (Manteno, Ill./Manteno) drove a 2-0 pitch just right of center field for her first homer of the season, cutting the deficit to 7-3. Senior Jenna Stauffenberg (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) followed with a single of her own to move the line, but the next three Crusaders went down in order to close the game.

Inside the Games

• Anderson reached base three times over the two games with a pair of hits and a walk, while Matalin moved into the second spot in the batting order for the first time in her career in the nightcap and delivered a 3-for-4 effort.
• Moreno’s RBI in the sixth inning of game two was her first of the season.
• Junior Kelsie Packard (Beloit, Wis./Turner [Rock Valley College]) took the loss in the opener, falling to 1-3 despite striking out six in six-plus innings of work and surrendering just three earned runs.
• Senior Kenzie Grossmann (Perry, Mo./Mark Twain [Morehead State]) started and was charged with the loss in the finale to fall to 10-7 on the year. Grossmann was charged with all five third-inning runs, but only one was earned.

Next Up

Valpo (16-16) steps out of conference play for a non-conference meeting with Fort Wayne on Wednesday afternoon at the Valpo Softball Complex. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.