Life in the Valley

Brady Renfro’s 7th-inning grand slam broke open a 2-1 game and propelled the Valparaiso Beacons to a 6-1 win over 22nd-ranked Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., Friday night. Nolan Tucker and Jake Skrine had RBIs in Valve’s 2-run 1st. The Beacons never trailed.

On the mound, Jacob Rosenkranz pitched 6 excellent innings, facing just 2 batters over the minimum and allowing 1 run on only 2 hits. He allowed 1 walk and struck out 3. He got through 6 innings on a mere 60 pitches, an insanely low 3.33 pitches per out (4.0 is excellent – or the equivalent of a 108-pitch, 9-inning complete game).

Ryan Mintz took over in the 7th and pitched 3 scoreless innings to pick up his first save of the season. Despite hitting 4, he kept Southern Miss off the scoreboard, giving up 2 hits and a walk with 3 strikeouts.

Valpo’s defense played an errorless game. The Beacons have committed just 7 errors in 11 games this season.

Sycamores Win 3rd Straight

Grant Magill hit a grand slam in the 2nd inning at Memphis to give Indiana State (5-8) the lead for good in a 5-1 victory Friday. The slam was Magill’s first HR and RBIs of the season. Matt Jachec pitched a complete game for ISU, striking out 10 and allowing just 1 run on 4 hits on 109 pitches.

Murray State, Milwaukee Split

The Racers and Panthers (5-1) played a pair of 7-inning games and traded 3-2 victories, with Murray State capturing the opener. Jacob Pennington pitched the rare 8-inning complete game in the opener, which went an extra inning after being tied at 2 after 7. Pennington allowed just 2 hits and struck out 5. He’s now 2-2 on the season with a 3.24 ERA. In the nightcap, the Panthers scored 2 in the 6th to take the lead for good on a 2-run triple by Tommy Benson.

Bears Nab DH Split with Emphatic Game 2 Blowout

After dropping Game 1 against SIU-Edwardsville, Missouri State (8-5) put the visitors to bed early in Game 2, scoring 9 runs in the 2nd inning en route to a 14-0 rout. Zack Stewart provided the most exciting play of the inning – a 3-run triple to make it 5-0. Stewart went 3-for-4 in the game. Nick Rodriguez added a 2-run single in the 2nd, while Dylan Robertson (3-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBIs) picked up RBIs in both the 9-run 2nd and Missouri State’s 4-run 3rd. Six MSU pitchers benefited from the run support with Tyler Tscherter getting the win to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Salukis Battle Kentucky into Extras Before Falling

Southern Illinois erased a 4-0 deficit to force a 10th inning in Carbondale Friday, but Kentucky scored the eventual winning run on Emilien Pitre’s RBI single in the 10th in Kentucky’s 5-4 win. SIU starter Ben Chapman’s line might not look impressive (4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 Ks), but he managed to work his way out of several jams early that limited Kentucky’s run production and kept SIU (6-8) in the ball game. Later, the Salukis took advantage, tying the game in the bottom of the 9th on Kaeber Rog’s RBI single. Matthew Steidl got the loss (0-1), but threw 4 1/3 innings of quality relief, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits with 5 strikeouts, though he did walk 5.

Illinois State Falls in Opener at Nebraska

The Redbirds (5-7) scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th inning to pull within 3-2 at Nebraska, but the Cornhuskers responded after the Stretch with a 5-spot to eventual go on and win, 8-3. Nebraska outhit Illinois State, 13-5. Catcher Nick Strong got the Redbirds back into the game with his 2-run homer in the 7th. It was Strong’s first homer of the season. Redbirds starter Derek Salata went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs on 8 hits, but he struck out 10 and walked none on 91 pitches. Salata (2-1, 2.49) has 32 strikeouts this season in just 21 2/3 innings, good for 13.3 whiffs per 9 leagues which will play in any league in the country.

Speaking of Pitching Performances …

Evansville had already faced a tough task at #7 Vanderbilt on Wednesday, losing 2-1 in 17 innings. But things went from difficult to extreme on Friday in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where Middle Tennessee’s Jaden Hamm pitched a 1-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts, leading the Blue Raiders past the Purple Aces, 2-0. Hamm threw 123 pitches and didn’t allow a hit until the 6th inning – a Ty Rumsey single. Hamm faced just 4 over the minimum. Purple Aces starter Nick Smith (1-3, 5.70) went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts on 99 pitches. Hamm (3-1, 2.57) is averaging 7 innings per start with just 6 walks compared to 36 strikeouts.

Western Illinois Ends Skid at Belmont

Western Illinois scored a pair of runs in both the 3rd and 4th innings to beat Belmont, 5-2, snapping a 10-game losing streak. Bruins catcher Blake Barton drove in both Belmont runs and stole a base in the loss. Belmont (6-9) pitchers Andy Bean and Will Pryor combined to strike out 12.

Nothing to See Here

Illinois-Chicago’s 4-game home series vs. St. Thomas was cancelled due to cold weather.