THE LEAD
No. 25 DBU defeated Valparaiso 10-4 on Wednesday night at Horner Ballpark. Right fielder Justin Wall, designated hitter Trooper Reynolds and third baseman Austin Listi each knocked in two runs to fuel the Patriot offense.
 
Gavin Fritz (1-0) earned the win for DBU with 2 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run on five hits with two strikeouts. Alex Dirienzo (0-1) suffered the loss for the Crusaders after giving up three runs on three hits in just an inning of work.
 
Valparaiso took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run single by catcher Scott Kapers. The Patriots cut the lead in half on a solo homerun off the bat of first baseman Darick Hall, his fifth of the season. DBU evened the score after Listi stole third base and came across the plate on a groundout by left fielder Daniel Sweet. The Crusaders regained the lead in the third with a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Daniel Delaney. After loading the bases, DBU again leveled the score on a groundout by Reynolds.
 
Fritz came in for relief of starting pitcher Jordan Martinson, who allowed three runs on three hits with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. In the sixth inning, Fritz allowed his first earned run of the season when Josh Clark crossed the plate after a throwing error on Hall on a single by second baseman Shea Molitor. After shortstop Camden Duzenack drew a walk in the bottom of the seventh, he stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Kapers, before a wild pitch allowed Duzenack to come home.  
 
Chet Joslyn walked two more batters before handing the ball over to Dirienzo, who loaded the bases with another walk. Reynolds picked up another RBI on a sacrifice to shallow center, knocking in catcher Matt Duce. After loading the bases on another walk, DBU increased its lead to 7-4 on a two-RBI single by Listi. The Patriots added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by a two-run double by Wall.
 
COACH DAN HEEFNER – ON THE WIN
"I thought we did a pretty good job all night long. We had a lot of opportunities early. The strength of our team is being strong one through nine in the lineup."
 
AUSTIN LISTI – ON THE STATUS OF THE TEAM
"I think we're locked in. One through nine and all the guys that come off the bench. It's fun to play with a team like that."
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 - DBU hitters went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, including three-for-five in the seventh and eighth innings.
 - The Patriots' 3-4-5 hitters combined for three hits, five RBIs and two runs.
 - Valparaiso pitchers allowed five extra base hits, while the Crusaders recorded zero.
 
IN THE NUMBERS
11 – DBU hitters drew 11 walks from the Valparaiso pitching staff.
8 – Camden Duzenack extended his hit streak to eight games on Wednesday.
9 – The Patriots' pitchers forced the Crusaders to strand nine men on base.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE PATRIOTS
DBU and Valparaiso face off in the second game of the four-game series on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at Horner Ballpark. Colin Poche (1-0) takes the mound for the Patriots against Trevor Haas (0-0) for the Crusaders.