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Softball collects solid wins

The Bradley women’s softball team picked up some strong wins last weekend at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as it went 3-2 over the weekend.

The Braves were able to start off hot offensively, which led to wins over Northern Colorado 9-3, New Mexico State 5-3 and Oregon State 18-8.

“I think it takes every single part of our game to be successful, but when your offense goes out and puts up nine in the first inning against a Pac-12 team, as a pitcher you should be feeling pretty good,” head coach Amy Hayes said. “You should be able to go out there and throw free and attack hitters. It’s a huge part when we can get rolling early offensively.”

Sophomore Stephanie Campos helped the Braves put together a nine-run first inning against Oregon State as she connected on a three-run homer and eventually finished the game with six RBI.

After winning the first three games of the weekend, Bradley ran up against DePaul and fifteenth-ranked Tennessee, who handed them 11-2 and 8-0 losses respectively.

“[Tennessee] is fifteenth in the country for a reason,” Hayes said. “They’re extremely fast, and I don’t think we gave them our best game. It was defensively not our strongest [game], but there were some bright points with the pitching in the circle and with some of the at-bats our kids had.”

One of those bright spots was senior lead-off hitter Kelly Kapp, who went 2-for-3 against Tennessee and hit .500 over the weekend.

“At the plate, I have focused on being competitive,” Kapp said. “We practice our mechanics for hundreds of reps during the week so when it comes to the weekend you have to trust that you know what to do and just compete with the pitcher. As a lead-off [hitter], I believe that it is important for me to get on base because it starts the momentum of the inning.”

Overall, Hayes said it was a successful weekend for her team as they continued to find their groove on the mound and at the plate.

“I’m proud of the way they played to come back with a win over the WAC champion [New Mexico State] and a Pac-12 team [Oregon State] that’s probably going to be sitting in the postseason,” Hayes said. “Those are two really strong wins for us.”

This weekend the team will travel to Lafayette, Louisiana, for the Mardi Gras Classic. The Braves begin with a double-header at 6 p.m. tonight against Bowling Green and at 8 p.m. against Mississippi Valley State.  

“Everyone starts their season off a little differently,” Hayes said. “Some teams are ready to go on pitch one, some teams are ready to go by weekend three. You just can’t overlook anyone.”  

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