The Bradley baseball team traveled to Champaign on Tuesday night to take on the University of Illinois, as late-inning heroics paved the way for a 4-3 Braves victory.
The Braves scored early as senior Derek Bangert drove in sophomore Luke Shadid to get things started for the Braves in the first inning. Bradley proceeded to score one run in each of the first three innings.
Junior Mitch Janssen started on the mound for the Braves, blanking Illinois through the first three innings. With a 3-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fourth, Illinois scored in back-to-back innings to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Illinois pitching staff held off the Braves bats long enough to allow their own offense to score the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Neither team scored in the ninth, so the game headed to extras.
With two outs in the top of the eleventh, sophomore Dan Bolt moved into scoring position and freshmen Keaton Rice delivered a single to score Bolt for the go-ahead run, which allowed the Braves to take a 4-3 lead.
“I got a fastball on the outside part of the plate and put a good swing on it,” Rice said. “I was just happy I was able to help my team win a ball game.”
Junior Boby Johnson came on in the bottom of the eleventh and sat the Illini down in order to pick up his first win of the season. He got some help from third baseman Brendan Dougherty, who made a sliding catch in foul territory, nearly colliding with the wall, to secure the 4-3 win for the Braves.
Bradley also hosted Robert Morris University – Springfield in a two-game weekend series on Saturday and Sunday.
In Saturday’s series opener, junior Cole Cook worked around a first-inning error and set the tone on the mound for the Braves. Cook retired each of the nine batters he faced, striking out three in the process.
Matching Cook’s dominance on the mound, the Braves hitting did their part by scoring early and often. The Braves scored 10 runs through the first three innings, registering multiple hits from seven different batters. Led by a 3-for-4 day at the plate from junior Luke Mangieri and three runs scored by junior JF Garon, the Braves recorded 13 hits, scoring 17 runs total.
“We wanted to play all nine innings and not give away at-bats,” Garon said. “We wanted to show up to the ballpark and show them we are the better team.”
Sophomore Ryan Hodgett took over on the mound in the fourth inning, maintaining the shut-out and picking up his first college win. The Braves run-ruled the Eagles in seven innings, taking game one 17-0.
The teams returned for the series finale on Sunday, and Bradley did not skip a beat. Five different pitchers toed the mound for the Braves, shutting out the Eagles 10-0.
After Saturday’s game one matchup against RMU, the Braves shaved their heads to raise awareness for the Vs. Cancer Foundation, whose mission is to cure children’s cancer. This is the fourth year the baseball team has participated in the event. So far they’ve raised over $42,000.
Head Coach Elvis Dominguez said he was pleased with his team’s involvement for the cause.
“I am so proud of them,” Dominguez said. “They have really taken to heart this cause. They know they can make a difference in somebody’s life and [positively] impact a family.”
Senior Ian Kristan and junior Andy Shadid said the team understands the importance of raising awareness for the children’s hospital and were chosen as the leaders for the fundraiser.
“We tried to push ourselves and our teammates to raise money for the hospital,” Shadid said. “There’s a bigger picture than baseball. Some people are fighting for their lives and we take it for granted that we can even get outside and pick up a baseball and swing a bat.”
To learn more about the Vs. Cancer Fund visit http://www.vs-cancer.org/
Bradley will play it’s biggest series of the year as the top team in the conference, Missouri State (8-1 MVC) visits Dozer Park this weekend. The first game starts on Friday at 6 p.m.
