The sound of snow and ice cracking underneath the feet of Bradley students this past week is radically different from the cracking sound the Bradley baseball team heard last weekend in Arizona. That was the sound of a bat meeting the ball.
The team traveled to Phoenix for their 2015 season opening tournament, winning the opener against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks 6-1.
Sophomore infielder Spencer Gaa paced Bradley’s offense, collecting two hits and five RBI in his four at-bats. Gaa said the home run, which came on the first pitch he faced in the sixth inning and was the first of his career, was rewarding for him.
“[It] felt good,” Gaa said. “Not going to lie, I was pretty nervous. It was the first pitch of my at-bat, I was just trying to be aggressive and I just got a hold of one.”
Junior shortstop Tyler Leffler also had a good day at the plate, picking up a pair of singles in five at-bats. Redshirt junior Chris Godinez had a strong day as well, scoring three runs from the leadoff position in the order.
Bradley got strong efforts on the mound from starter Elliot Ashbeck, who allowed just one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. Junior Cameron Roegner pitched the remaining 3 1/3 innings, yielding three hits and a walk while striking out four.
The team’s good pitching continued into game two of the weekend.
The offense managed just three hits during the game’s first nine innings, but after North Dakota State managed to tie the game at three, the offense woke up.
Bradley loaded the bases in the tenth inning and took the lead when Godinez hit a sac fly. Gaa singled, reloading the bases for Leffler.
Leffler’s base hit drove in two more runs, while freshman Ian Kristan and junior Paul Solka each knocked in another run for the Braves, who won 8-3.
As for Sunday, the pitching was not quite as good.
Bradley allowed a team-record 30 runs on 28 hits to Grand Canyon University, with the former record dating back to 1954. Head coach Elvis Dominguez says games like that happen in all levels of baseball.
“It’s baseball,” Dominguez said. “You see it happen at the big leagues, you see it happen at every level. It wasn’t anything that we did wrong, we made some great pitches. It was just one of those days where anything they got a barrel on it and found a hole.”
The Antelopes scored at least two runs every inning except the eighth. They posted at least five runs four times: the first inning, the fourth inning and the seventh inning. GCU scored six runs in the sixth inning.
All 30 runs were earned. Starter Stephen Toma gave up six runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings. Brent Strong came on in relief, but did little to relieve the scoring. The junior allowed nine runs on 11 hits in two innings. Junior Drew Peters was the only Brave to not allow a run, tossing a perfect 1 1/3 innings with a strikeout.
Dominguez preferred to focus on the positive outcome of the game against GCU, noting that a lot of Bradley’s players got a chance to play.
“In a game like that, [we] got an opportunity to play everybody once the score got out of hand,” Dominguez said. “Guys that probably would not have played that week depending on the situation of the game got a chance to showcase their talent and to have an opportunity to perform.”
Bradley squares off against the McNeese State Cowboys this weekend in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It’ll be the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and Dominguez is thankful for the fortunate scheduling.
“They’re a very, very good ball club,” Dominguez said. “They’re off to a 3-0 start. Justin [Hill, the Cowboys’ head coach] has done a good job there rebuilding that program…More importantly, I’m glad we scheduled this three years ago. I think we might be one of the only people who are able to play, considering how cold it is and the snow. We were lucky enough to do it so I think it’ll be a great test for us as well.”
