Bradley softball saw its scoreless streak balloon to 21 innings before the offense came alive in last weekend’s Troy Cox Classic. The team’s pitching, however, still leaves much to be desired.
The Braves won one of five games last weekend in Las Cruces, New Mexico, knocking off the New Mexico State Aggies in the final game of a Feb. 14 doubleheader.
Before that, however, the Braves had managed just five runs in 28 innings, all of which came in the team’s loss to Weber State in the first game of the aforementioned doubleheader.
The first day of the tournament did not go well for the Braves, as the team lost to Kansas and Weber State by a combined score of 19-0.
Bradley’s offense sprang to life in the three games that followed, putting up five, 10 and nine runs respectively. Head coach Amy Hayes said the team made a change mentally that benefitted them at the plate.
“We just said that we need to do everything that we have worked on,” Hayes said. “[We were] thinking about things at the plate that we have absolutely no control over and worrying about results…We just got back to what makes our swing work.”
The Braves managed just one win in those three games, however, because the team’s pitching staff yielded 33 runs. Bradley lost to New Mexico on Sunday 14-9, in a game that saw the Braves walk 11 times but manage just four hits.
Senior Alyson Spinas-Valainis threw a complete-game in Bradley’s lone win of the tournament, allowing eight runs (five earned) on 12 hits. Hayes said she was able to earn the victory thanks to her pitching style.
“We just have to go out and attack people, and that’s what [Spinas-Valainis] did against New Mexico State,” Hayes said. “They’re a very good hitting team, and so, even though her line doesn’t look that strong, they can absolutely mash.”
Hayes also noted the fences in New Mexico sit at 190 feet from home plate, which helped in Bradley’s offensive onslaught as well. For comparison’s sake, the fences Laura Bradley Park are 200 feet away from the plate down the lines and 220 feet in center field.
Heading into the tournament, freshman Erika Hansen was batting just .231, sophomore Kelly Kapp just .286 and senior Brittany Burgess just .125.
Hansen, helped greatly by a 4-for-5 effort at the plate Saturday, raised her average to .281 by the end of the tournament. Kapp saw her line improve to .344, an increase of nearly 160 points, while Burgess managed to bring her average all the way up to .320.
While it’s nice to see the offense get better, the Braves cannot rely on out-slugging every opponent they face. The pitching has to get better soon, and Hayes said the team has a chance to have a good showing at the Tennessee State Tiger Invitational held this weekend in Nashville.
