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Softball takes third straight series, drops SIU-E during week

Erika Hansen (center) gets mobbed by her teammates after hitting a walk- off RBI double to win the series against Evansville. Photo by Chris Kwiecinski.
Erika Hansen (center) gets mobbed by her teammates after hitting a walk-
off RBI double to win the series against Evansville. Photo by Chris Kwiecinski.

The Bradley softball team’s homecoming wasn’t quite as comfortable as they were hoping. Temperatures were in the mid-40s and wind speeds approached 30 miles per hour. To top it off, the Braves dropped game one of the series to Evansville.

The outlook, on the field and in the weather forecast, was bleak. As they have done all conference season long, the Braves found a way to take the next two games and win their third consecutive conference series.

“No one was happy with the way [game one] went,” head coach Amy Hayes said of the 11-2 loss. “We were pretty stern about what we needed to do and take care of in game two.”

Bradley took home a pair of wins with scores of 13-9 and 5-4, and the winning didn’t stop there. The Braves hosted SIU-Edwardsville Tuesday and left with a business-as-usual win. The women took a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, en route to a 7-2 win.

“Kids had some good at-bats,” Hayes said. “Julie Kestes really redeemed herself on the mound. She didn’t start off strong but finished well, then Dani Cowan came in and gave us good innings of relief.”

Senior infielder Rachel Huggins said the team “came out with intense energy,” which was exemplified by the Braves’ four-run first inning.

The win gives the women a three-game win streak, their longest win streak of the season. However, the women are doing their best to downplay their recent success.

“I don’t think we think about it,” Hayes said. “We really just try to focus on taking it one game at a time. You just have to go out there every day and every pitch and compete. If we keep doing that, I think things will go well.”

That mindset, which has been echoed by Bradley players all year, has been instrumental to their success. Huggins, who blasted two home runs last weekend, says she and the rest of the team have bought into that philosophy.

“I don’t think we look at it too much as a streak,” Huggins said. “We just look at it game by game, inning by inning, just to try to keep our momentum going and keeping on a consistent pace that we know will help us in the tournament at the end of the year.”

The women are finding various ways to win games, which coach Hayes said is a credit to their versatility and athleticism. Whether the game is a barnburner or a pitcher’s duel, the Braves manage to end up on top.

“I think it’s hard to scout us,” Hayes said with a laugh. “I think our pitchers are finding their way, but they’re all very different … they all give different looks so they can all be effective. [Offensively] we’ve had kids who’ve had ups and downs but there’s always somebody there within our lineup to pick up the slack, and I think our kids are pretty good at trusting that too.”

The goal for the Braves continues to be to win every series. The women have accomplished that goal every weekend, but they have also managed to lose the first game of each series. The next hump the Braves have to jump over will be to finally sweep a series altogether.

“It’s extremely difficult to beat a team three times in one weekend,” Huggins said. “I think that as long as we have our defense, hitting and pitching working consistently, [we’ll be good].”

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