VALPARAISO, Ind. – Indiana State softball defeated Valpo on Friday, taking down the Beacons, 7-0, at the Valpo Softball Complex to begin the three-game MVC series.
 
The Sycamores (27-24, 15-10) scored five runs between the first two frames to help pick up their 15^th Valley win of the season, blanking Valpo (8-38, 4-21) who was held to just four hits in the shutout victory by ISU.
 
The Action
Olivia Patton started off the contest with a double to left field to quickly get into scoring position. With one out in the inning, Isabella Henning lifted a home run over the wall in center field, her eighth of the season, to put the Sycamores up 2-0. Annie Tokarek added a single up the middle but the Beacons were able to retire the side. Valpo got a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the first but Sycamore starter Lexi Benko was able to get out of the jam without any damage.
 
To lead off the top of the second, TeAnn Bringle launched her second home run of the year, a solo shot to left center, to extend the ISU lead to 3-0. Kaylee Barrett followed Bringle up with a double to right center. Barrett then moved to third on a Abi Chipps bunt single with Chipps also advancing to second on the play. Olivia Patton made It 4-0 with an RBI groundout, scoring Barrett. With just one out in the inning, Danielle Henning singled through the left side to score Chipps and extend the lead to 5-0. Annie Tokarek added her second hit of the day with a single to left but would get left on first base to end the inning.
 
Benko sat the Beacons down in order in the bottom of the second and Valpo returned the favor to begin the third, getting a strikeout and two fly outs to get back in the dugout. The bottom of the third brought another scoreless frame for the Sycamore senior pitcher.
 
Indiana State would tack on another run in the fourth, getting a two-out single up the middle from Annie Tokarek which brought home Danielle Henning for a 6-0 lead. The single made Tokarek 3-for-3 on the day. Valpo got a one-out double in the bottom half but Benko got a pair of groundouts to keep the Beacons off the scoreboard.
 
Kennedy Shade led off the fifth inning with a single up the middle. Maeve McDonough then came on as a pinch-hitter and was hit by a pitch to put another Sycamore runner on. Hannah Welch, who came on as a pinch-runner for Shade, and McDonough would each move up a base on a wild pitch. After a Sycamore strikeout, Kaylee Barrett worked a full count and drew a walk to load up the bases. Livi Colip entered as a pinch-hitter and would deliver with a sacrifice fly RBI to score Welch, making it a 7-0 game after the top of the fifth. Benko logged another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth, picking up her first strikeout of the game along the way.
 
The Sycamores went down in order in the sixth, bringing Lexi Benko back to the circle where she picked up another strikeout during her sixth shutout inning of the day against the Beacons.
 
After ISU went 1-2-3 again in the top of the seventh, Benko finished off her complete game shutout, shutting down the Beacons in order once again for her 13^th win of the season. She allowed just four hits and zero walks while striking out two Valpo hitters.
 
The Sycamores finished with 10 hits, led by Annie Tokarek who went 3-for-3 with a RBI. TeAnn Bringle and Isabella Henning both homered while Olivia Patton, Danielle Henning, Kennedy Shade, Kaylee Barrett and Abi Chipps all had one hit apiece.
 
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