This past weekend, Bradley softball (7-12) traveled to Miami, Florida, to compete in the FIU Classic and returned with three wins and two losses.
Toledo, we have a problem
The Braves kicked off the classic against the Toledo Rockets. The first four innings were a rubber match, as neither team registered a run.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Rockets broke the scoreless tie when senior Sydney Griffith knocked a single to right center and a fielding error allowed freshman Marissa Warren to cross home plate.
Bradley’s offensive struggles continued through the sixth inning. The Braves could not establish many runners on base until the Rockets made errors, and junior utility Kierston McCoy blasted a double to left center to get the Braves rolling.
McCoy advanced to third a few plays later on a wild pitch from Toledo, and was rewarded for sparking Bradley’s offense when she touched home plate, courtesy of a single from junior infielder Ashley Breeding.
The clutch score took the game into an extra inning. The Rockets had the first crack at getting on the board in the top of the eighth, but they only got a single runner to third before a flyout ended their inning.
After the stop, Bradley was in position to steal the game with a runner on second when senior shortstop Addie Welsh made a heads-up play.
“Going into that eighth inning, I knew I was leading off and we were starting with a runner on second,” Welsh said. “I knew that with my teammates behind me, as long as I got that bunt down and moved that runner, someone was going to come [up] and get a hit to score.”
That someone was senior pitcher Sydney Kennedy, who hit a walk-off double to bring in junior outfielder Lauren DeRolf for a run to win the game 2-1.
Panthers protect home-field advantage
Bradley’s next game that day was against the Florida International University Panthers. In the second inning, the Panthers took advantage of two errors from the Braves to put four runs on the board.
The Panthers increased their lead, scoring three more in the fourth inning and handing the Braves a tough 7-0 loss.
“I feel we could’ve had more energy and done a better job at communicating,” Kennedy said. “Errors are going to happen; we don’t get too worked up on that. It is more when they build on each other and we are not doing the things in our power like communicating or [making an] effort to fix things like that.”
The Braves get revenge…kinda
After losing to the Panthers of FIU, the Braves’ next test was the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
They passed with flying colors.
The Braves started Saturday with a bang, scoring three runs in the first inning. While the Panthers scored a run in the fourth to catch up, Bradley responded with their fourth run in the same inning. They boosted their lead in the fifth inning with an additional three runs added on the board before taking the game 7-1.
“We knew these were teams we could outplay and beat,” freshman infielder Olivia Turner said. “Going into that game, we knew that they [were] one of the best teams here [and said], we can do this, we can beat that team.”
Turner also contributed offensively for the Braves, adding four hits and three RBIs.
The next game was against the Saint Francis University Red Flash. While the Red Flash scored the first run in the second inning, the Braves didn’t falter as they took the lead in the sixth inning with four runs. They extended their lead by an additional run in the seventh inning and ultimately won the game 5-1.
“The game before [against Eastern Illinois] we really utilized [the] success of others and built off of each other,” Welsh said. “Using that energy to our advantage ultimately helped us and deflated them [Saint Francis].”
On the last day of the classic, the Braves faced Eastern Illinois again. However, the Panthers were eager for revenge, scoring four runs in the first inning alone and bringing home another run in the second.
While the Braves attempted to catch up with two runs in the fourth inning, the Panthers quickly halted their momentum, scoring two runs in the fifth and sixth innings. This resulted in the Braves’ second loss in the classic, 10-2.
“The second game we really didn’t come out as we should’ve,” Turner said. “Just because we beat someone 7-1 [the first time] doesn’t mean the second time that they’re going to come down. Next time we have to come with that mentality that they’re going to want to beat us.”
The Braves next travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, to compete in the Boilermaker Classic on Saturday.
