There is no time to dwell on your results in collegiate baseball.
It’s a lesson Bradley baseball is going to have to take with them after a weekend series against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, that did not go their way.
The Braves were swept in their three-game set against the Rebels, allowing 10 or more runs in each contest and 45 total in the series.
Game 1 was as good of a start as Bradley could have hoped for, though. The team jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, capped off by a Hayden Miller home run, and eventually held a 6-0 lead entering the bottom of the sixth thanks to an RBI double in the third and a fifth-inning homer from AJ Garcia.
The Braves were also propelled by a strong second start from William Soignier, who pitched 3.1 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and surrendered just one hit and three walks. It was his second appearance of the year after starting on Opening Day, and, so far, he has only allowed one run through 7.1 innings of work.
“Swanny [Soignier] is a hyper-competitive pitcher,” head coach Justin Dedman said. “He’s got really good stuff, and he pitches with that energy that we want our entire staff to go about their outings with. His secondary stuff has really developed well, and he just keeps getting better in terms of execution in-game.”
When Soignier exited in the fourth inning, Bradley turned to lefty Davis Webb out of the bullpen. He got the remaining two outs in the fourth and pitched a scoreless fifth inning, but ran into trouble in a sixth inning that saw UNLV cut the deficit to 6-2.
The seventh inning is where it fell apart for the Braves. The team was forced to use three pitchers in the inning, and the Rebels scored nine runs to take an 11-6 lead. Though Bradley scored three more in the eighth, UNLV was able to get an insurance run in the bottom of the inning and shut down the Braves in the ninth to take Game 1 of the series 12-9.
“In seven games, we’ve either had a lead or been tied or down one run in the fourth or fifth inning in all but one game; that’s been the story so far this year,” Dedman said. “I think we’ve seen some flashes of what this team is capable of; we just haven’t played complete games. We’ve got to be better on both sides of baseball, attacking on offense, attacking on defense and attacking on the mound.”
That story replayed the next day for Bradley, who once again found themselves in a tightly contested game in the middle innings.
The two sides were tied at two through four innings before the Rebels took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. After a scoreless sixth inning, UNLV tacked on 10 runs between the seventh and eighth innings, effectively putting the game out of reach. The Braves put three runs on the board in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as they fell 13-5.
“They just need to trust in their stuff and attack the strike zone,” Dedman said of the bullpen going forward. “We have a lot of guys that either have really good velocity or movement, or even both, and the ability to be in leverage counts is always how to get hitters out. And so getting strike one, winning the race to two strikes, those are key processes for us. Those are often about intent and mindset.”
Bradley entered the third contest looking to avoid the sweep, but fell behind early as the Rebels put up 11 runs across the first two innings. The Braves were able to cut into the lead in the third and fourth and bring it back to a six-run game, but UNLV punched back with more runs in the final four innings to win the rubber match 20-9.
“I think it’s about focus and attention to detail and playing with a commitment to our standards,” Dedman said. “I think these guys are confident; we’re very confident in our ability to play good baseball, but it’s about doing what is required. That’s what’s going to help us get there. It’s a commitment to our standards and how we play the game, and as we own that, we’re going to see a lot of success come.”
Bradley will get a chance to redeem themselves this upcoming weekend as it travels to Tennessee to face a tough UT Martin squad.
“They’re a well-coached team; they are extremely scrappy and competitive,” Dedman said of the Skyhawks. “They’ve won some tight ballgames so far this year, and they’ve shown consistency throughout nine innings, which has been a challenge for us. This is really about us playing nameless, faceless opponents and attacking the game with a white ball coming at us or with a white ball in our hands. And when we decide to play the game that way, it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
The Braves will play the Skyhawks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday before traveling to Edwardsville for a midweek matchup with SIUE on Tuesday.
