With an eight-game winning streak a part of this season’s credentials, Bradley’s baseball team (12-5) entered last week looking to beat the University of Central Florida, who stood as the No. 19 nationally ranked team.
Scoring early has been a key to the Braves’ success this season, winning four of five games when scoring first. The Braves opened up scoring in a powerful second inning. The Braves scored four runs on four hits, and sophomore Luke Shadid stole home.
The Braves went up 5-0, but UCF hit two-run homers twice: once in the second inning and once in the third inning, making the score 5-4.
Both teams struggled to get hits through the middle innings until UCF scored in the bottom of the eighth to tie 5-5. The game went on five more innings until the bottom of the 13th when UCF hit a RBI single to walk off the Braves 6-5.
Head coach Elvis Dominguez said he liked the way his team played but knew the Braves should have won the game.
“We outplayed them in every single category except the scoreboard,” Dominguez said. “One more base hit, and the game should have never been that close. It was a very, very well played ball game on both sides.”
The next day the Braves played against Webber International, dominating the Warriors by scoring early and often. The Braves won 11-1 with Luke Shadid leading the team with three RBIs.
With that win, Dominguez won his 400th career game as a baseball coach, a milestone he said he was surprised to reach.
“I had no idea. Numbers are just something you’re judged by,” Dominguez said. “To do this for thirty years is special because of the players that I have been around and have an impact on their lives. As far as 400, it’s just a number.”
The trip was not over as the Braves took on the University of Massachusetts Amherst in a two-game series. UMass stifled Bradley in the first game, winning 6-2 and held Bradley scoreless until the seventh inning. According to Dominguez, defense and pitching were some of the discernable weaknesses in the Braves’ game. In the second game against UMass, the Braves scored five runs early and held UMass to only three runs in a 6-3 victory.
After the long trip, Dominguez said he emphasized the importance of rest to his players.
“One thing I asked is for them to get some rest,” Dominguez said. “Now it gets back into a routine of where we play mid-week games … A lot of our guys want to play pro ball and in pro ball, you play every day. They have to get used to doing that on a regular basis and be able to compete every single day.”
The Braves were back at it on Wednesday in the home opener at Dozer Park. Bradley easily defeated Chicago State 11-1. Seven Braves scored, notably sophomore Brenden Dougherty recording his first career home run.
“Hitting my first home run was a lot of fun and hopefully not the last one I hit,” Dougherty said. “It was cool to do it [during] our home opener in front of the Bradley fans who came out to support.”
Overall, Dominguez said the team’s success depended on effort from all players.
“It wasn’t just one guy,” Dominguez said. “It was a combination of everyone chipping in and doing their job on a daily basis.”
The Braves will play against Robert Morris Chicago at 6 p.m. today, Eureka at 6 p.m. tomorrow and MacMurray at 2 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be played at Dozer Park.
