Live Stats: Game One | Game Two
 
CHICAGO (April 8, 2019) – The local weather forecast has forced changes to Loyola's upcoming doubleheader with Valparaiso. The two programs will square off on Tuesday, April 9 with a 4 p.m. start time. The event will be paired up with Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer, with both teams wearing gold laces on their cleats in an effort to raise money toward pediatric cancer research.
 
Last Time Out: Loyola swept Indiana State in a three-game set that saw the Ramblers outscore their opponent 29-16 over the course of the trio of contests. The wins had a low-scoring affair at 2-1, and two high-scoring games the Ramblers took by six. The Maroon and Gold posted 14 runs in the series finale to tie a season-high, while Nova Sinskul, Katie Kasubke and Allyson Ivey all went deep in the outing. The three home runs marked the first time this season Loyola went deep thrice in a game. Shannon McGee also chipped in five hits in the series to extend her hitting streak to a season-high eight games.
 
A Look at the Crusaders: Valparaiso, picked to finish sixth in the MVC, enter the midweek doubleheader 12-17 overall and 2-9 in conference play. The pitching staff has been anchored by Kelsie Packard, who enters Tuesday with a 3.24 ERA and a .228 opponent batting average. Packard has logged seven complete games thus far on the 2019 campaign that's contributed to her 84.1 innings pitched that ranks 9^th in the Valley. Jaymee Lawton paces the Crusaders at the plate in home runs (5), RBI (14), on-base percentage (.432) and slugging percentage (.556). She also shares the team lead in batting average at a .270 clip this season.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola has won five of the last nine contests against Valparaiso, but will look to avenge last year's sweep at Loyola Softball Park. The head-to-head history dates back to Loyola's inaugural season, while the Ramblers hold the longest winning streak between the two at 10 games from 2000-05. Kiley Jones hurled two complete game efforts in both of her starts last season versus the Crusaders, one of which was a three-hit gem where she didn't surrender an earned run.
 
Up Next: Loyola heads west to Iowa to take on the first place Drake Bulldogs. The three-game series begins on April 13 with a doubleheader at noon, followed by one game the next day at 11 a.m.

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