Illinois College. Roegner threw a complete game last weekend against
Missouri State, yielding on one run in the 2-1 win. Photo submitted by Dan Smith.
It wasn’t sleet, nor snow, nor wind, but rain that stopped the Bradley men’s baseball team from finishing their three-game series with Missouri State.
The Braves competed well in the series opener but came up short in the end. They then recovered to win game two powered by dominance on the mound and timely hitting. However, they couldn’t sustain the success against Northwestern, losing in Evanston to the Wildcats.
On Friday, the teams battled through tough weather conditions. The Braves trailed by only one run going into the top of the ninth, but a pair of errors and some timely hitting allowed MSU to score four more runs and put the game out of reach, downing the Braves 8-3.
“Tyler Leffler, who’s been very, very good all year defensively at shortstop, just picked up the ball and it just sailed on him,” head coach Elvis Dominguez said. “The elements had something to do with it, but that’s baseball.”
The Braves bounced back, winning 2-1 Saturday, and were carried on the shoulders of starting pitcher Cameron Roegner. The senior threw his first career complete game and only gave up three hits, while striking out seven.
The game was a pitcher’s duel from the start. Bradley had men on base in each of the first four innings but finally broke through in the fifth when senior Paul Solka delivered an RBI single to right. Sophomore Ian Kristan followed with a sacrifice fly, putting the Braves up 2-0. Roegner’s only flaw was a ninth inning homer he gave up to Missouri State third baseman Jake Burger.
“It was a great college ballgame,” Dominguez said. “[Roegner] had all three pitches working, and he pretty much just dominated from the first pitch. He was exceptional and that was the reason we ended up winning. We were able to scratch a few runs across to put us at ease a little bit, but Cameron just took over from there.”
Roegner said he was pleased with his performance Saturday.
“Within the first few innings of a start, you can typically get an idea of what pitches you have in your arsenal for the day,” he said. “From there, you just hope that you can keep them off balance and that your defense will make plays behind you. I was fortunate enough to have both of those things go my way on Saturday.”
The Braves weren’t able to play the rubber match of the series due to rain. The two schools won’t reschedule the game due to the rules of the Missouri Valley Conference, but Roegner said the series was a “confidence booster for our whole team.”
“We knew Missouri State was going to be a tough test for us, they are No. 16 in the nation for a reason,” he said. “Not only did we win the Saturday game, but on Friday we were able to take them into the ninth inning down just one run. It really just reminded us that we can contend for a Missouri Valley Championship.”
The Braves traveled north to Evanston to play Northwestern in the Big Ten Challenge Wednesday, and were thrown off kilter.
Northwestern thew nine different pitchers at the Braves and kept them guessing. Bradley scored their lone run in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch and were held one run on six hits. Northwestern went on to hold their lead and downed the Braves 5-1.
Bradley will return to conference play when they travel to Evansville for a three game series beginning Friday.
