It was an up-and-down weekend for Bradley’s softball team as they battled St. Thomas and Missouri in the Mizzou Classic on March 4-6.
Senior pitcher/utility player Grace French threw the first Braves no-hitter in nearly 15 years against St. Thomas on Sunday morning, but later that afternoon against Missouri, the Braves failed to record a single base runner and were the victim of a perfect game.
In total, the Braves played five games in the Mizzou Classic, winning all three of their games against St. Thomas and dropping both of their games against tournament host and 15th-ranked Missouri.
Head coach Amy Hayes thought the offense wasn’t at its peak but expressed that it’s all part of the ebb and flow of the season.
“We pushed through really well, I don’t think we really brought our A-game, but we found a way to win,” Hayes said. “It’s not easy to beat someone twice and we had to beat St. Thomas three times, so I felt good about the way we persevered and showed up, especially on Sunday.”
March 4 was the first of three games against St. Thomas, and Bradley held off the Tommies 3-1. Sophomore Raegan Branon hurled seven innings of one-run ball in the complete game effort and senior Camryn Monteer went 2-4 at the plate.
The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was dominated by Missouri, as they beat the Braves by a score of 10-1. Bradley rebounded well with a 4-3 victory over St. Thomas, which featured home runs from the bats of French, freshman Abbott Badgley and senior Samantha Smith.
Sunday began the same way Saturday ended: Bradley once again emerged victorious against St. Thomas, completing a three-game weekend sweep against the Tommies. It was French’s no-hitter that stole the headlines, as she coasted with five strikeouts and two walks en route to a 9-0 win.
The bats were ignited in this contest as well; freshman Katie Pederson went 3-3 with a home run, a double and four RBIs. Badgley also went deep, recording two hits, two runs and two RBIs.
The momentum shifted in the Braves’ final game of the weekend, where Tigers sophomore Laurin Krings stifled Bradley’s offense by tossing a perfect game and striking out 12 batters.
“Overall, we played pretty well with Mizzou, we just didn’t make any adjustments at the plate,” Hayes said. “When you’re facing a pitcher like [Krings], if you don’t find a way to get to her, she’s not going to give you anything.”
Missouri went on to win the game by a tally of 8-0, and the Braves exited the Classic with a 3-2 record after a weekend of action, moving them to 10-9 on the season. In total, Bradley hit six home runs, eight doubles and one triple in the five games last weekend.
Next up for the Braves is the Bruin Classic in Nashville, Tennessee, where they are slated to play four games spanning from March 11-13.
