Bradley baseball (3-6) couldn’t get it done against Southeast Missouri State last Friday and Saturday, losing three and giving up double-digit runs in each game.
Most of the runs that the Braves gave up came in the early innings, as 28 of SEMO’s 39 runs over the weekend came in the first three frames. On a weekend where the Braves only took the lead once, head coach Elvis Dominguez said the pitching needs to step up.
“It’s tough to play catch-up,” Dominguez said. “We had three big innings in three games and it kind of cost us. We’ve got to be more consistent on the mound and stay away from those big innings.”
A deciding factor in those big innings were walks, as Bradley allowed 16 free passes against the Redhawks to bring their season total to 54, over a dozen more than the number of walks through the first nine games last season (40). Working through a plethora of injuries in the bullpen, those walks have proven to be costly, as the team’s ERA has jumped from 3.04 at this point a season ago to 9.00 right now.
“We have to eliminate the free passes,” Dominguez said. “That’s basically the bottom line.”
The lone Bradley lead of the weekend took place in the first game, as senior catcher Keaton Rice and sophomore shortstop TJ Manteufel hit homers in the second and third innings, respectively, to jump ahead 2-1. Rice, who went 3 for 4 in Friday’s game and 4 for 8 on the weekend, was able to end his 0 for 7 slump coming into the game.
“I just thought about staying short to the ball,” Rice said. “Our coaches talked about hitting the L-screen in [batting practice] every time, so just taking that mentality into the game has really helped me.”
The Braves’ slim lead would not last long, as SEMO delivered a nine-run third inning and didn’t look back, winning 16-7. Senior Grant Jausel got rocked and was pulled in the third after giving up nine earned runs on only five hits.
The second game of the series was not much prettier. Six first-inning runs from the Redhawks knocked freshman Jacob Kisting out early in the seven-inning affair. The Braves tried to mount a comeback off a two-run double from Rice and sophomore right fielder Carson Husmann’s three-run bomb, but the deficit proved too great to overcome in the 11-8 defeat.
“We just kind of went through the motions a little bit,” Rice said. “We need to get back on the mound [at practice] on both ends and just really focus on throwing strikes.”
The final loss felt like déjà vu, as SEMO put up four in the first and three in the second to once again take out a Braves starter early. This time, the victim was senior Nick King, whose four strikeouts through 2.2 innings were not enough to stymie the Redhawks. Junior first baseman Connor O’Brien’s three-run homer in the third, as well as an RBI double and RBI groundout in the fifth, was all Bradley could muster in the 12-5 rout.
Despite the losses, Dominguez and Rice think there are still positives to take away from the weekend.
“We swung the bats extremely well,” Dominguez said. “A lot of guys got an opportunity to play. [We’re] trying to get their feet wet and trying to get them to hopefully help us out down the line.”
“I thought our guys competed to the best of their abilities,” Rice said. “Had some tough calls during the game, but you can’t blame the umpires, you just gotta keep grinding.”
Spring break for the team features a trip down to Florida, where the shorthanded staff will have to endure eight games in 10 days starting today. Dominguez admits he has to do a better job of managing the situation, with many normal bullpen guys going more than two innings as of late. Ultimately, he says it’s up to whoever is on the mound to get the job done.
“The guys that we put in there, they just have to execute,” Dominguez said. “Maybe we’re putting them in roles that they’re not used to because of all the arms that we do have down, but they’re still getting an opportunity and they’re still here for a reason.”
For Rice, how the team combats this three-game skid heading into Florida will be based on how they practice.
“Everyone thinks you win Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but it starts with every day at practice — just getting our reps and taking everything seriously and going from there,” Rice said.
