The Bradley baseball team completed a weekend sweep at Evansville, taking all three games from the Purple Aces to win a third consecutive conference series.
The Braves racked up 12 hits en route to nine runs scored in Friday’s opener. Freshman left fielder Eli Rawlinson accounted for five runs scored, driving in three and scoring two of his own. Rawlinson finished 2-3, with two walks and a bases loaded two-run single that got the Braves on the board.
“My approach at the plate was the same this week,” Rawlinson said. “I just got my pitches in the counts I wanted and made the most of my opportunity.”
The nine runs were plenty for the Braves’ pitching staff, as they struck out 10 batters and limited the opposing offense to just four runs. Junior lefthander Cole Cook improved to 4-3 after the game one victory.
Bradley’s offense was stagnant through the first seven innings of game two. The Braves managed only two hits as the Purple Aces flirted with a shutout.
On the brink of dropping game two, the Braves scored four runs to make it a one-run game.
Down 5-4 in the ninth, sophomore Dan Bolt led off with a game-tying homerun. J.F. Garron reached third base on a throwing error and scored on sophomore Luke Shadid’s sacrifice bunt, giving the Braves their first lead of the game. Junior Nick McMurray and sophomore Brendan Dougherty drove in the final two runs, and the Braves were on top with an 8-5 lead heading into the final half inning of the game.
Senior Alex Gray shut out Evansville in the bottom of the ninth, securing the comeback andpicking up the win, improving to a team high 6-0 on the year.
“Our pitching coach [Larry Scully] just told me to get my outs and try to keep the team in a position to win,” Gray said. “I got a lot of run support. Our hitters do a phenomenal job. I get picked up more times than it seems by the hitters. I just want to keep winning games for the [team].”
The Braves took care of business in the series finale, run-ruling the Purple Aces in seven innings.
Redshirt junior Sam Lund and right hander Matthew Richey held the Purple Aces to three runs in Sunday’s win. On offense, the Braves erupted for 14 runs, with every starter reaching base at least once.
With the sweep, the Braves have won each of their three conference series to start conference play. With a 7-2 conference record, the Braves sit in third place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, behind Dallas Baptist University and Missouri State. Sunday’s game three victory also marked the Braves seventh conference victory, surpassing their overall conference win total of six from a year ago.
Head Coach Elvis Dominguez credits this year’s success to a more experienced lineup and a team-first mentality.
“We started so many players last year that were freshman, and [they] are now sophomores,” Dominguez said. “The upper-class senior leadership has been very strong. A lot of upperclassmen who may not be playing very often have accepted their roles and understand that it is all about the team and winning.”
The Braves returned to Peoria on Wednesday evening after a four-game road trip to host the Western Illinois.
Western Illinois scored two in the top of the first off Braves starter Mitch Janssen, but Bradley scored nine unanswered runs to win 9-2 and sweep the season series. Junior first baseman Luke Mangieri went 3-5 at the plate, with three RBI including his second home run of the year.
The Braves will have a break from conference play this weekend as they host Robert Morris – Springfield. The two games will take place at noon on Saturday and Sunday at Dozer Park. After the Saturday game, the Braves will shave their heads to raise money for childhood cancer.
