TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State softball split a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Price Field to take two out of three in the weekend series against Valparaiso to open MVC play.
 
The Sycamores were victorious in game one of the day with a 9-0 win in five innings. The Beacons bounced back with a 1-0 shutout of ISU in game two to avoid the sweep.
 
Indiana State is now 14-11 (2-1) while the Beacons are 9-11 (1-2) after the first weekend of conference play.
 
Game One
The Indiana State bats started where they left off from Saturday, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first.
 
Cassie Thomerson drove in a pair of runs after a groundball got away from a Beacons fielder, allowing Bella Peterson and Amanda Guercio to score. Lexie Siwek drove in two more runs to make it 4-0 with a single that brought home Isabella Henning and Amanda Guercio.
 
Following a 1-2-3 inning by Cassi Newbanks in the top of the second, the Sycamores put three more on the board, courtesy of a three-run blast to right center by Bella Peterson which scored Olivia Patton and Abi Chipps to extend the ISU lead to 7-0.
 
In the bottom of the third, Danielle Henning led off the inning with an infield single and would later score on an RBI groundout from Patton to take an 8-0 lead.
 
To lead off the bottom of the fourth, Bella Peterson recorded her second double and third hit of the afternoon. After getting to third on a wild pitch, Amanda Guercio got her home with an RBI groundout to give the Sycamores another insurance run and a 9-0 lead.
 
Newbanks made quick work of Valparaiso in the fifth with a 1-2-3 inning to finish out the victory. She finished with four strikeouts across five innings of work, allowing just two hits all afternoon. The win moves her record to 4-4 on the season.
 
The Sycamores recorded 10 hits, including multi-hit efforts from Peterson, Siwek and Isabella Henning. Patton, Guercio and Danielle Henning each had one hit in the contest.
 
The series-clinching victory was the seventh straight for the Sycamores over the Beacons.
 
Game Two
The second game of the afternoon and the series finale did not see as much offense as the others, as the two teams combined for nine hits.
 
The Beacons opened the third inning with back-to-back bunts, putting a running in scoring position which allowed to Beacons to score the lone run of the game on a RBI single to right field with two outs in the inning.
 
Indiana State ended a no-hit bid in the fourth inning on an Amanda Guercio infield single.
 
The Sycamores got two runners on in the sixth and loaded the bases in the seventh but were unable to cash in, giving Valpo their first conference win of the season.
 
Lexi Benko was solid on the mound again, throwing a complete game and striking out two while allowing just one run on five hits. She takes the loss and moves to 7-6 on the year.
 
The Sycamores four hits on the afternoon came from four different players, with Amanda Guercio, Olivia Patton, Lexie Siwek and TeAnn Bringle each recording base hits.
 
Around The Horn
-Bella Peterson currently ranks first in hits (31), runs scored (21) and doubles (9) while also ranking second among MVC players with a .378 batting average. She leads ISU in nearly every offensive category, ranking second in OBP.
 
-Lexi Benko's 1.92 ERA ranks third among conference pitchers. Her 41 strikeouts are ninth most.
 
-Lexie Siwek has extended her hitting streak to seven games. She's 12-for-19 at the plate during those seven games.
 
-Bella Peterson recorded her third three-hit game of the season in game one of the doubleheader. She also hit her team-best fourth home run of the year.
 
-The Sycamores now lead the all-time series 18-6 over Valparaiso.
 
-The Sycamores series win is the second straight over the Beacons, with ISU sweeping Valpo in 2021.
 
-Indiana State is now 5-1 against other Indiana schools this season, defeating IUPUI, Purdue Fort Wayne, Butler and now Valparaiso.
 
Up Next
Indiana State will travel to Indianapolis on Wednesday for a doubleheader against IUPUI then return home for a three-game series with Bradley beginning on Saturday at Price Field.

For the latest information on Sycamore Softball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.