VALPARAISO — Todd Evans had just watched his team give away a late lead for the second straight game, but the Valparaiso coach still had a good feeling in the seventh inning Friday against Crown Point.
The Bulldogs capped a rally from four runs down by scoring twice in the seventh to tie the game at 4-4, but Evans knew he had the right part of the batting order due up in the bottom of the inning.
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Sam Miller met his coach’s expectations, completing a banner day with a leadoff double. Two batters later, Jack Healy’s grounder through the right side of the infield plated Miller to lift the Vikings to a walk-off, 5-4 Duneland Athetlic Conference victory over the Bulldogs.
“Sammy’s double was huge,” Evans said. “Not to say that we expect it from him, but we’re not surprised when he does it.”
Miller launched a full-count fastball from Crown Point starter Alex Ruiz over the left-field fence for a three-run homer in the third inning. The senior catcher also made a critical play defensively, cutting down Crown Point’s Thayne Bukowski at third base on a stolen-base attempt with two on and no outs in the fifth.
Miller collected three hits in four at-bats and finished a triple shy of the cycle for Valparaiso (2-2, 1-1). His seventh-inning double came against his former youth baseball teammate Mark Mazure, who took the loss.
“I went into my last at-bat with some confidence, already having a good day,” he said. “Mark was throwing some curveballs, and I was fighting them off. He threw me a fastball and I hit it well.”
Valparaiso starting pitcher Alfonso Casaday received no decision after allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and striking out six in six-plus innings. The senior lefty used his curveball effectively and worked the outside corner. Bryce Crook picked up the win in relief.
The Vikings are back on track after a 6-3 loss to Portage on Tuesday.
“This was very important because I believe we should have won some of our other games,” Miller said. “This was a difficult team to play against, and we’re pumped with the win.”
Corey Brown enjoyed a three-hit day for Crown Point (3-4, 1-1). He provided a run-scoring single as part of the seventh-inning rally.
“The way we started off the game was pathetic,” Crown Point coach Steve Strayer said. “It’s the fact that we really struggled playing the game of baseball. Even more important than that, we have some players on the team that have some selfishness.”
The Bulldogs edged Lake Central 2-0 Tuesday in the conference opener, but couldn’t make it back-to-back victories on Thursday.
“Until the selfishness is taken care of, we’re going to be an average team,” Strayer said. “We’ll win some big ballgames and get excited about that, and then we’ll lose some games. We have a lot of players that get it, but we’ve got a few players that don’t get it. That’s something that’s got to be addressed.”
Vickrey is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.