Propelled by strong pitching and consistent hitting, Bradley took two of three games from Central Arkansas last weekend in the team’s first series of the 2019 campaign.
“I was really happy with the way our club played and how we battled and how we competed,” head coach Elvis Dominguez said. “Everybody pretty much played and everybody contributed.”
In the first game, the Braves were led by solid pitching from seniors Mitch Janssen and Cole Cook.
After UCA grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning, the Braves rallied for four runs in the fourth, and added an insurance run off a sophomore Eli Rawlinson homer in the eighth to take the 5-2 win.
Janssen started the game for Bradley and threw four innings, allowing two runs on just two hits. Cook took over in the fifth and held the Bears scoreless for five innings, striking out nine on his way to picking up the victory.
The next day, UCA again plated a run first, picking up a 1-0 lead in the first.
Bradley snatched the lead in the second on a junior Luke Shadid bases loaded walk and a junior Brendan Dougherty ground out. Shadid later extended the lead to three with a two-run homer in the fourth.
The Bears cut the lead down to one in the fifth, but the Braves bullpen shut the door the rest of the way to wrap up the 4-3 win.
Junior Jed Moscot picked up the victory after two and two thirds innings of one hit ball, and redshirt senior Alan Beer was credited with the team’s first save of the season after a scoreless ninth.
Bradley fell short in the final game of the set, 13-9. Junior
Dan Bolt had the hot bat for the
Braves, picking up 5 RBI in the contest.
The pitching staff didn’t find the same success they had in the first two games, giving up 15 walks and 11 earned runs between six pitchers.
“Our pitching staff did a phenomenal job on Friday and Saturday, and for whatever reason just couldn’t find the plate on Sunday,” Dominguez said. “But I was really happy with how we competed in all aspects.”
While some teams struggle at the plate towards the beginning of the season, warming up the bats after the offseason was not an issue for Bradley, as the team scored 18 runs in three games.
“Usually for the first three or four weekends, pitching is just way ahead of the hitting, because we haven’t been able to be outside or see live pitching,” Dominguez said. “Our guys just made adjustments all weekend long. We got contributions up and down the lineup from everybody.”
Bolt said he trusts that the bats will continue to stay hot and provide a cushion for the pitchers.
“With a team full of upperclassmen and veteran players, who have been there and done it before, we knew what to expect from pitch one,” Bolt said. “Hitting is contagious and getting off to a hot start will be big for us game in and game out to help our pitchers settle in.”
Currently, the Braves are in the midst of a four-game swing through three Tennessee cities, starting the trip yesterday at Austin Peay. They take on Belmont today, Lipscomb Saturday and Middle Tennessee Sunday.
“[This trip] will be a real testing ground for us, because all four of those teams are picked to be near the top of their respective leagues,” Dominguez said. “So, it doesn’t get any easier. If you want to be the best you have to be the best.”
The first pitch for today’s game is scheduled for 4 p.m.
