VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Indiana State baseball clinched its 10th-straight winning season with a 6-3 series opening win at Valparaiso Thursday afternoon at Bauer Field. With the win, Indiana State cannot fall past the six seed in next week's Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
 
Dane Giesler wasted no time taking sole possession of fifth all-time in Indiana State baseball program history with his 31st career home run on a rocket over the fence in right field in the top half of the first inning to put the Sycamores (27-22, 9-10 MVC) out in front.
 
Valparaiso (18-30, 6-13 MVC) right-hander Jon Tieman settled in for the Crusaders following Giesler's homer by retiring nine-straight Sycamores with some help from his infield that made a pair of spectacular plays at third base and shortstop.
 
Back-to-back singles from Jake Means and Roberto Enriquez to open the fifth inning ended the streak for Tieman. Indiana State elected to move both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt but two groundouts to second base ended the ISU threat.
 
Even though Valpo had put the leadoff man on base in three of the first four innings via walks, it wasn't until the home half of the fifth that the Crusaders would break into the hit column with a sharp liner up the middle from Christian Barczi.
 
After a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, southpaw Triston Polley was a strike away from getting out of the inning after putting Valpo's Sam Shaikin in an 0-2 count. Shaikin pulled a ball down to third, just out of the reach of Jake Means to drive in Barczi from second to tie the game at one.
 
Five-straight Sycamores reached to begin the sixth inning as Indiana State put up their first crooked number on the scoreboard on the day with a five-run inning. CJ Huntley and Dane Giesler singled to open the frame setting up runners on the corners for Romero Harris. Harris, a junior, singled to center to push the go-ahead run across the plate while extending his on-base streak to 24 games and hitting streak to 13 games.
 
Jarrod Watkins singled home his 13th run of the season a batter later before Jake Means drew a nine-pitch walk to load the bases. Luke Fegen tacked on another run with a single to left before junior shortstop Clay Dungan came away with a two-out -- two RBI single to score the fifth and sixth runs of the day for the Trees.
 
Valpo put the first two runners of the seventh on base after a hit-by-pitch and a walk as the Trees turned to right-hander Tyler Whitbread out of the bullpen. The Camlachie, Ontario native induced a 6-4-3 double play in his first batter faced with a nice turn from Watkins at second to complete the play.
 
The Crusaders would have a run score in the seventh on a passed ball before adding another run in the eighth to cut the Sycamore lead to 6-3. Valpo brought the tying run to the plate with runners on first and second but Whitbread would get the popup to right-center that would be handled by Watkins to end the threat.
 
Left-hander Tyler Grauer collected his third save of the year after pitching the ninth.
 
Triston Polley improved to 7-2 on the year after going six innings and allowing just two hits to the Crusaders. The southpaw struck out five and walked four in the outing.
 
Eight Sycamores recorded base hits in the game led by Dane Giesler and Jarrod Watkins who had two hits each. Indiana State outhit Valpo,10-5.
 
Tieman fell to 5-5 on the year after giving up six earned runs on 10 hits in six innings of work for the Crusaders. Jarrett Hammel did not allow a hit in three relief innings for Valpo.
 
The Sycamores will look to clinch the series with Valpo Friday at 2 p.m. ET.
 
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