Following a week that featured splitting even in a series win at SIU-Carbondale and a loss at SIU-Evansville, the Braves squared off against Missouri State and Northern Illinois University.
The result was considerably less than they hoped.
Due to an incoming storm, there was a schedule change that occurred late April 11, which set the Braves into playing three games in two days.
“It’s definitely a grind,” said freshman third baseman Stephen Gaa.
In that three-game series against Missouri State, the Braves won only one, which was a 6-5 win in the first of a Saturday doubleheader, and the team lost the first and last game by scores of 6-5 and 7-2, respectively.
Coach Elvis Dominguez said he knows this series was one that the team should have won.
“We should’ve won the first two games of the series, there’s no doubt about it,” Dominguez said. “I’m not upset at our guys, I think they battled and they competed, and that’s all you can ask.”
The Braves lost the first game of the series by a late, two-run surge by the Bears in the top of the ninth inning.
Even though the Braves came back to take the lead in the seventh inning on senior Greg Partyka two-run home run, freshman Matt Dennis blew the save by allowing the Bears to regain the lead for good with the two-run ninth inning.
The team ended the game on April 11 on a sour note and went into Saturday’s double-header hoping to take at least one game from the Bears.
While they accomplished that feat, it was truly a tale of two games for the Braves.
Junior David Koll started game two of the series and had a rough outing as he went 2.1 innings, allowing four runs (two earned)on four hits.
Dominguez took out Koll in the third and replaced him with sophomore Peter Resnick. After replacing Koll, Resnick gave up one unearned run the rest of the way.
However, after that, the sophomore right-hander didn’t give up a hit from the fourth inning on and struck out four while getting the win.
“David didn’t have it right away, [then] Peter came in and held them there,” Dominguez said. “That’s a great accomplishment by Peter.”
The Braves came back from a 5-0 deficit in the third inning to tie the game in the fifth inning on junior Drew Carlile’s RBI double, and then they took the lead on junior Issac Smith’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.
The Bears threatened once more in the bottom of the ninth, but Dennis closed the game out to earn the save.
“Once we got the lead, we just went to Dennis,” Dominguez said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to work for us all year and it worked again tonight.”
Although the Braves won game one of the double header in ing fashion, game two proved to be a completely different story.
Three errors and three wild pitches broke open a 4-2 game and padded the Bears lead 7-2, which ended up as the final score.
“We just gave away too many free runners,” Dominguez said.
However, in a doubleheader against Northern Illinois, the Braves made their game plan simple: attack early.
“Coach [Dominguez] told us we need to start attacking the ball,” Gaa said. “[He wanted us] getting ahead early and getting our pitchers more comfortable early on.”
Gaa proved to be the difference in the first game, as he hit a three-run, bases-clearing double to provide all the fuel the Braves needed as they won 3-0.
“I was just waiting for my pitch,” Gaa said. “He threw one up in the zone and I made him pay for it.”
The Huskies gave a scare late in game two of the doubleheader, as NIU plated two runners in the top of the ninth and threatened more, but the Braves team closed out and won 7-5.
The Braves remain home this weekend, playing a three-game series against non-conference opponent Omaha April 18-20, and then they finish their home stand Wednesday against SIU-Edwardsville.
