Bradley baseball returned to Dozer Park for the first time this season over the weekend, looking to snap its two-game skid.
Their test was not going to be easy, however, as defending Missouri Valley champions and College World Series quarterfinalists Murray State came to Peoria for a three-game set.
The Braves jumped ahead of the Racers early in Game 1, utilizing smart baserunning to score three runs in the first before adding another in the second. Murray State got a run in the third off a solo home run, but Bradley responded in the bottom of the inning to get the run back and led 6-3 entering the fifth.
The Racers rallied in the fifth, scoring three runs to come back and tie the game before scoring five runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead. The Braves wouldn’t go down without a fight, though, responding with three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to keep the game within distance.
Despite Bradley’s rally, Murray State would close out the game over the final three innings, outscoring the Braves 7-1 to win by a final score of 18-10.
Game 2 of the series did not go Bradley’s way at all. Right-handed pitcher Calen Scheider pitched a competitive four innings, but the Braves’ offense could not capitalize and trailed 2-0 entering the fifth inning.
The Racers blew the game open with nine runs in the fifth, headlined by a grand slam that pushed the lead to double digits. Neither side was able to plate a run across the last three innings and Bradley was in danger of being swept.
The rubber match of the series saw a similar fate to Game 2. Murray State jumped ahead to a 4-0 lead in the second inning, and eventually brought its lead up to 9-0 after the fifth inning. The Braves snapped their scoring drought in the seventh, scoring one run in each of the final three innings. The Racers added five more in the ninth, however, which completed a sweep of the Braves with a 14-3 victory.
Before another conference slate this weekend, Bradley hosted a one-off, midweek game against Big Ten foe Iowa on Tuesday. It was the first of two games the Braves will play against the Hawkeyes, with the return game scheduled for April 14 in Iowa City.
The Hawkeyes worked the Braves’ pitching early, drawing four walks in the first inning as they took a 5-0 lead. Bradley responded in the bottom of the inning, as a grand slam from designated hitter Michael Quick tied the game at 5 and gave the Braves their biggest offensive inning in over a week.
The momentum would not last, however. Iowa scored seven runs in the second inning and added four more across the third and fourth to take an 11-run lead. Bradley would cut into that deficit in the fifth inning, scoring three runs. Ultimately, the Hawkeyes scored five runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take the game 21-8.
Now on a seven-game losing streak, the Braves will look to snap out of it as they host Evansville for three games this weekend before traveling to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers on Tuesday.
