The Braves softball team is peaking at the right time. With just a few games left in the regular season, Bradley is playing their best softball of the year.
Last weekend, they took two of three games from the Missouri Valley Conference leader Drake, helping sophomore Jaelen Hull and freshman Erika Hansen earn conference awards.
“We prepared really well for Drake and we executed,” head coach Amy Hayes said. “Now we’ve gained some momentum and the players are feeling really good about themselves.”
Drake topped Bradley 6-4 in the first game of the series on Saturday. The Braves jumped ahead 4-0 in the first three innings thanks to timely hits from the top of the order and miscues on defense by the Bulldogs.
The 4-3 score stuck all the way until the top of the seventh inning, when Drake rallied for three runs to put them up 6-4. The Braves were scoreless in the bottom half of the inning.
Senior Alyson Spinas-Valainis took the loss on the mound for Bradley. She struck out a career-best seven batters, walked one and gave up eight hits.
Bradley took the second and third games of the series that were both played on Saturday. In addition to Spinas-Valainis, seniors Shannon King, Brittany Burgess, Mandy DeMeulenaere and Lexi Cremeens were recognized before the doubleheader.
The first game of the Sunday doubleheader was scoreless until the top of the fourth, when Drake plated two runs. Bradley got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when sophomore Caitlyn McCarron hit a solo home run to put the score at 2-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Kapp had a bunt single and reached second on a passed ball. She then stole third, and reached home on an error, knotting up the game at 2.
The game would head to extra innings, and in the Braves half of the eighth, Kapp, freshman Taylor Morales and freshman Maria Schroeder all singled to load the bases with one out for Hansen. Hansen delivered a single into left-center to plate the winning run. It was the second walk-off win in the last three games for the Braves.
“[My recent success] just means that all the hard work is paying off,” Hansen said. “When I’m up to bat, I don’t think about anything. I just trust that I know what I’m doing because of all the reps that we put in.”
Hull earned the win, strinking out a career-best nine hitters while yielding two earned runs in the complete game.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Braves opened up the scoring with a four-run third. Hansen started the rally with her conference-best 19th double of the season, and was driven in by another double by McCarron. Junior Kendall Duffy followed that up with a two-out, three-run homer to put the Braves up 4-0.
Drake followed up with three runs in the fourth to cut Bradley’s lead to 4-3, but the Braves held on for the win. Spinas-Valainis tossed a complete game, allowing just one hit over the final three innings. She walked one batter and struck out five.
“I think the entire team is beginning to gel, which is great at this time of the year because that’s when we really need to [do],” Hansen said. “We’re in a good position going into the final stretch of the season.”
Hansen’s success this weekend earned her the MVC Newcomer of the Week award for the third time this season. She currently has a 10-game hit streak, and has batted .444 with three doubles, four runs and two RBIs in the last five games. She is the second player in MVC history to receive the award three times in a season.
“[Hansen] has been steady for us all year,” Hayes said. “She’s just doing what she’s capable of doing. Having a great freshman year like this really gets her off to a strong start in her collegiate career.”
Hull earned the MVC Pitcher of the Week award for the first time in her career. Hull was involved in three of the last four victories for the Braves, posting a 1.27 ERA to go with a 2-0 record and one save in three appearances. Hull only started pitching in mid-January after recovering from surgery.
“The key is that she’s healthy,” Hayes said. “Our goal for her this year was to take time with her and let her heal up and get strong, and now she’s feeling great.”
The Braves finish the regular season on the road in Evansville this weekend.
