In Bradley softball’s second trip to Nashville this season, they spent their spring break competing in the Bruin Classic, hosted by Belmont. The Braves walked away going 2-2 to wrap up their non-conference slate.
The Braves began the Bruin Classic with a 10-9 record as they took on ASUN power North Alabama (18-4) in the inaugural matchup between the two teams.
Bradley entered the weekend second in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring, averaging nearly five runs per game, but the Lions slowed them down, as the Braves lost 1-0.
Senior Grace French gave up three hits in a complete-game effort in the pitcher’s duel. Her offense backed her with five hits, two of them coming from senior right fielder Keeler van Breusegen. The offense was sparked early by a leadoff single from senior third baseman Camryn Monteer in the top of the first. She stole second and advanced to third on an error when French hit a sacrifice fly. Monteer advanced home on the play, but she left early, resulting in an out.
The lone run came in the bottom of the seventh when Emma Broadfoot of North Alabama advanced on an error. Mary Kilpatrick came into pinch-run and eventually scored on a fielder’s choice to win the game.
Game two of the day for Bradley featured a battle against Akron, which only had two wins entering the contest. The Braves started the offense early, thanks to a single up the middle from senior Samantha Smith, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. After the Zips tied it in the top of the third, the Braves punched back with three runs in the bottom of the third, backed by a two-run triple from French.
The story of the game was a seventh-inning two-run homer from freshman Addie Welsh, which was the first of her career. Her performance over the weekend, going 6-10 with 3 RBI and two homers, helped her earn MVC Newcomer of the Week. Freshman Abbott Badgley earned her fourth victory of the season in the 7-2 affair.
After a day off, Bradley once again matched up with Akron in a game that featured a lot of offense. The Braves scored a season-high 14 runs, along with knocking a season-high 17 hits.
Sophomore Jordy van der Werf went 3-5 at the plate with three RBIs, one coming from a solo home run. Freshman Katie Pederson and van Breusegen each accounted for two hits and 3 RBI of their own. Bradley hit four home runs through the first two innings which set the tone as they did not look back.
Camryn Schaller got the start on the mound for Bradley, allowing five runs on seven hits and Badgley earned the victory in relief allowing zero runs with four strikeouts in the 14-5 win.
In the final non-conference game of the season, Bradley went up against the hosts of the event, Belmont.
The Braves got off to a promising start, scoring the first two runs of the game, but it was all Belmont from there. Monteer started the scoring action in the third with a triple, driving in junior Olivia Bradley. The next run came across in the fourth when Pederson smashed a triple, allowing van Breusegen to drive her in with a single.
Belmont put together a run in the bottom of the fourth to make the game 2-1 in favor of the Braves, but an explosive fifth-inning went the way of Belmont. The Bruins scored four runs this inning, sparked by an Elison Ollinger home run. This was all the offense the Bruins needed, as neither team scored after the fifth, resulting in a 5-2 loss for Bradley.
The Braves travel to MVC foe Indiana State for a 3-game set on March 26 and 27.
