It was a simple formula for the Valpo softball team to earn its first win of the season Friday at the Dome in Rosemont, Ill. — junior Emily Crompton (Salem, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) delivered a fourth-inning RBI double and senior Easton Seib (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) made it stand up with a six-hit shutout for a 1-0 victory over Western Illinois. The win was the first as head coach of the Beacons for Meaggan Pettipiece.

How It Happened

• Batting as the visiting team, Valpo threatened right away in the top of the first, putting two on with one out. But the Beacons were unable to push anything across the plate in that frame.
• WIU had a strong scoring chance in the top of the second with the bases loaded and just one out. Crompton came up with her first big play of the game to keep the game scoreless, initiating a fly-ball double play with a strong throw home to nab the Leatherneck runner trying to score.
• The Beacons got the only run they would need in the top of the fourth. Freshman Kim Rodas (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) led off the frame with a base hit and moved up to second on a walk drawn by junior Autumn Acord (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone [Kent State]). Crompton stepped in and ripped a double to the left-center gap, plating Rodas to give Valpo a 1-0 lead.
• The threat continued as a walk loaded the bases, still with nobody out. But a failed squeeze attempt led to the first out registered on the bases, and a line-drive double play limited Valpo to just the single run.
• That one run ended up being enough to stand up for the win, however. Seib had to work around baserunners in each of Valpo’s final four defensive innings, as WIU had a runner on second with one out in the fourth, runners on the corners with two away in the fifth and runners on first and second with one out in the sixth. Each time, however, the third out came before any damage was done.
• WIU had one final threat in the seventh on a two-out infield single, but a grounder was dealt with by the Beacons’ middle infield to close out the win.

Inside the Game

• Valpo has won six in a row over the Leathernecks after winning just six of the first 62 meetings in the all-time series.
• Seib delivered a vintage performance in the circle, relying on pitching to contact and letting the Valpo defense make plays behind her. She scattered six hits and walked just one batter in earning the win to improve to 1-1 on the season.
• The shutout was the fourth of Seib’s collegiate career. It is the second time she has blanked the opposition in a 1-0 victory.
• The victory featured a pair of firsts for Crompton. The junior, who had not registered a defensive stat in her first two seasons, came up with her first career outfield assist on what proved to be the crucial out at the plate in the second inning. Crompton followed by picking up her first career extra-base hit on the game-winning RBI.
• Fifth-year Taylor Herschbach (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) reached base twice Friday evening, picking up a base hit and drawing a walk.
• Freshman Lyna Vasquez (Moreno Valley, Calif./Valley View), making her first collegiate start, relied on her eye at the plate to draw three walks in the win. The three walks in a single game are tied for third-most in a game in program history.

Next Up

Valpo (1-2) closes out opening weekend action from Rosemont with two games on Saturday, facing Bowling Green at noon and Eastern Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. Both games will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com.