
Valpo takes series with 4-2 win over SIU
04/25/2021 | 3:58:00 | Baseball
VALPARAISO, Ind. - Valparaiso pitchers Zach Fricke and Easton Rhodehouse combined to pitch seven-straight scoreless innings to lead Valpo to a 4-2 win over SIU on Sunday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field. Valpo won the series, three games to one.
SIU (26-12, 6-10 MVC) took an early lead with an unearned run in the first inning before Fricke and Rhodehouse owned the middle innings. Fricke, who pitched a complete game vs. SIU in 2019, was great again today, striking out nine over six innings. He gave way to Rhodehouse, who earned a three-inning save.
In between, Valpo's relentless traffic on the bases eventually broke through for the game-winning runs. Valpo (8-21, 3-9 MVC), which stranded 16 on the bases yesterday, didn't hit much hard against SIU starter Ben Chapman, but its soft grounders had eyes all day. In the fourth inning, three infield singles resulted in the game-tying run. In the fifth, a two-out, two-run single gave Valpo a 3-1 lead. The Salukis lost a ball in the sky in the seventh inning, which, along with a throwing error on a stolen base attempt, resulted in Valpo's fourth run of the day.
The Salukis tried to string together a comeback in the ninth. Philip Archer led off with a single, and Evan Martin came through with an RBI triple to bring SIU within 4-2 with nobody out. Austin Ulick drew a one-out walk to put the potential game-tying run on base. With SIU down to its last strike, Ian Walters found a barrel going to the opposite field, but a 15-mph wind blowing straight in from left field killed the potential go-ahead homer on the warning track.
Bubba Hall was outstanding for the Salukis out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit (the lost-in-the-sky popup) and one unearned run over three innings.
SIU, which started the year 19-1, fell to 7-11 in its last 18 games.
UP NEXT: SIU added a home game against Murray State on Tuesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. After that, the Salukis host Missouri State for a four-game series next weekend at Itchy Jones Stadium.
SIU (26-12, 6-10 MVC) took an early lead with an unearned run in the first inning before Fricke and Rhodehouse owned the middle innings. Fricke, who pitched a complete game vs. SIU in 2019, was great again today, striking out nine over six innings. He gave way to Rhodehouse, who earned a three-inning save.
In between, Valpo's relentless traffic on the bases eventually broke through for the game-winning runs. Valpo (8-21, 3-9 MVC), which stranded 16 on the bases yesterday, didn't hit much hard against SIU starter Ben Chapman, but its soft grounders had eyes all day. In the fourth inning, three infield singles resulted in the game-tying run. In the fifth, a two-out, two-run single gave Valpo a 3-1 lead. The Salukis lost a ball in the sky in the seventh inning, which, along with a throwing error on a stolen base attempt, resulted in Valpo's fourth run of the day.
The Salukis tried to string together a comeback in the ninth. Philip Archer led off with a single, and Evan Martin came through with an RBI triple to bring SIU within 4-2 with nobody out. Austin Ulick drew a one-out walk to put the potential game-tying run on base. With SIU down to its last strike, Ian Walters found a barrel going to the opposite field, but a 15-mph wind blowing straight in from left field killed the potential go-ahead homer on the warning track.
Bubba Hall was outstanding for the Salukis out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit (the lost-in-the-sky popup) and one unearned run over three innings.
SIU, which started the year 19-1, fell to 7-11 in its last 18 games.
UP NEXT: SIU added a home game against Murray State on Tuesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. After that, the Salukis host Missouri State for a four-game series next weekend at Itchy Jones Stadium.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Fricke, Zach (1-2)
L: Chapman, Ben (5-4)
S: Rhodehouse, Easton (1)

Batting:
3B: Martin, Evan 1
RBI: Martin, Evan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cleveland, Cody 1 ; Archer, Philip 1
SB: Neville, Nick 1 ; Hudson, Brad 1
HBP: Ulick, Austin 1

Batting:
2B: Fitzsimmons, Steven 1 ; Schmack, Kyle 1
RBI: Fitzsimmons, Steven 1 ; DiFederico, Angel 2
SH: Johnson, Parker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schmack, Kyle 1 ; Hannahs, Kaleb 1 ; Renfro, Brady 1 ; Olive, Matt 1
SB: Schmack, Kyle 1 ; Dent, Riley 1
Game Leaders
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