Life in the Valley

There were 6 Valley teams in action on Tuesday night and MVC clubs overall went 2-4, 1-2 against teams from Power-5 conferences. Here’s a look at how tonight’s action went down.

UIC 10, Northwestern 6
It’s not much of a secret that Northwestern, out of the Big 10, has had all sorts of problems so far this season. But, for Valley schools, any win over a Power-5 team of any level of talent is a good opportunity and the Flames took advantage of that Tuesday night, downing the Wildcats, 10-6. UIC led, 5-2, early, only to see the Wildcats tie it. But UIC put the game way with 4 runs in the 6th inning and another in the 7th.

Charlie Szykowny led the UIC attack, going 4-for-5 with a homer, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. A.J. Henkle, Ryan Nagelbach, and Jackson Bessette all drove in 2 runs each for UIC. Four Flames pitchers combined to allow just 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5. Kade Lancour got the win after giving up 2 runs on 3 hits over 3 innings.

UIC plays 4 at home vs. St. Thomas this weekend. The Tommies are 1-8 and have lost 6 straight. They play in the Summit League. St. Thomas is in a transition from Division III to Division I.

Mississippi State 12, Valparaiso 2
You couldn’t blame some Valpo fans if they were yelling, “STOP THE COUNT,” after 3 innings in Starkville. The Beacons led, 2-0, thanks to a Kaleb Hannahs sac fly and a run-scoring wild pitch.

But the rest of the game did indeed have to be played, and the Bulldogs got up off the mat in the 4th, scoring 6 runs to take the lead for good en route to a 12-2 win. Bryce Chance had a 2-run single in the frame, while Luke Hancock added an RBI double. Hancock doubled twice and walked twice the win, while he and Chance each scored twice.

MSU starter Bradley Loftin went 6 innings, allowing just the 2 runs on 2 hits with 11 strikeouts.

Life doesn’t get any easier for Valpo (6-4) this weekend, as the Beacons travel to Hattiesburg to take on #22 Southern Mississippi in a 3-game set.

Kentucky 6, Murray State 2
The Wildcats (10-4) scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to pull away from Murray State and take a 6-2 victory in Lexington. First baseman Hunter Gilliam had the big hit for UK in the 8th, a 2-run triple that made it 5-2. Murray State fell behind 2-0 early, but tied the game in the 3rd when Brennan McCullough tripled home Dustin Mercer to even things at 2-2. UK took the lead for good in the 6th on a Racers throwing error.

Murray State was held to just 3 hits in the game and struck out 11 times. Despite getting the loss, starter Ethan Lake was very effective, working 5 innings and allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits with 1 walk and 9 strikeouts.

The Racers (4-9) host Milwaukee (6-4) for 3 games this weekend.

Indiana State 8, SEMO 3
In the first of a 2-game midweek series, the Sycamores earned a badly needed win, downing Southeast Missouri State, 8-3, to end a 7-game losing streak. CF Seth Gergely finished 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. RF Parker Stinson also had 3 hits, including a triple, with 2 runs and 2 RBIs.

Zach Davidson and Brennyn Cutts combined to throw 5 scoreless innings to finish the game, allowing just 3 hits with 0 walks and 3 strikeouts. Davidson (1-1) was credited with the win.

SEMO hosts the Sycamores again tomorrow before Indiana State goes to Memphis for 3 games this weekend.

SIU-Edwardsville 5, Southern Illinois 4
The Salukis lost to their namesake neighbors, 5-4, as SIUE (9-2) rallied from 4-0 down to take victory. Cole Christman drove in all 4 runs for SIU, 2 on a homer in the 5th inning and 2 more on a 6th-inning single. But SIUE scored 5 runs on a 3 singles and an error the rest of the way to overcome the 4-run deficit.

Ryan Rodriguez had 3 hits for the Salukis. Starter Jake Combs pitched 5 strong innings, with 2 walks, 2 earned runs, and 5 strikeouts.

Southern Illinois (6-7) hosts Kentucky for 3 games this weekend.

Western Kentucky 11, Belmont 1 (7)
The Hilltoppers downed the Bruins by 10 runs Tuesday, scoring all their runs in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. Seven different Hilltoppers scored runs in the game while 6 had at least 1 RBI. Belmont was held to 4 hits and Max Blessinger scored the lone Bruins run.

Belmont (5-8) visits Lipscomb (5-7) tomorrow before hosting Western Illinois (1-11, lost 10 straight) for 3 games this weekend.