Bradley Finishes 2-2 At Tennessee Invitational

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Published on March 6 2017 12:24 pm
Last Updated on March 6 2017 12:25 pm
Written by Millie Lange

Bradley University softball had a season-long, five-game win streak snapped as the Braves opened play at the Tennessee Invitational Friday afternoon with a 16-2 loss to Ohio.
 
Ohio (10-2 overall) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a run and broke the game open with a 15-run fourth.  After a pair of walks, Natalie Alvarez gave the Bobcats a 1-0 lead with a RBI single to center in the top of the first.
 
Bradley got a leadoff single from senior Kelly Kapp in the bottom of the first and she promptly stole second for her 18th stolen base of the season.  Ohio hurler Michaela Dorsey got a pair of strikeouts and a foul out to end the threat, however.
 
Julie Kestas retired Ohio in the order in the second and worked around a two-out single in the third as the Braves trailed 1-0 heading to the fourth.  The first nine batters in the top of the fourth reached via a hit or walk as the Bobcats broke the contest open with a 15-run inning to take a 16-0 lead.
 
The Braves rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Sophomore Gabby Stoner led off the frame with a double and freshman Kealia Wysocki followed with a single.  Freshman Allison Apke (Teutopolis) drove in a run with a single to center and Bradley added a second run on an Ohio error on the play.  Hurler Desirae Villanueva got a pair of groundouts for the Bobcats to end the threat and close out the 16-2 Ohio win.

 
Bradley 5, Southeastern Louisiana 5

A week after her game-winning home run against 16th-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette, junior Maria Schroeder provided another big hit for Bradley with a two-out, two-run double in the eighth to give the Braves a 6-5 walk-off victory against Southeastern Louisiana Saturday afternoon on day two of the Tennessee Invitational.
 
Bradley  didn’t hold a lead until Schroeder’s dramatic hit in the eighth, battling from behind throughout the contest.  Southeastern Louisiana (9-11 overall) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, scoring a run in the top of the first on an illegal pitch.
 
The Braves managed just two hits through the first four innings and were unable to advance a runner past second until the fifth.  Bradley starter Julie Kestas settled down after the first to retire 11 consecutive batters before surrendering a two-out single in the top of the fifth.
 
Junior Elizabeth Leonard led off the Bradley half of the fifth with single and the Braves had runners at the corners following a Katie Habryle single.  Leonard scored from third on a RBI groundout by Gabby Stoner to tie the contest at 1-1.
 
Southeastern Louisiana took advantage of a Bradley error in the top of the sixth to go back in front 2-1.  An error to open the inning allowed Maddie Edmonston to race home on a Mihalia Gibson double as the Lions went back in front.
 
Back-to-back doubles by Caitlyn McCarron and Stephanie Campos to open the Bradley half of the sixth plated McCarron and pulled Bradley even again at 2-2, but Southeastern Louisiana answered with another run in the top of the seventh.  Senior Jaelen Hull took over in the circle for the Braves after a triple and walk to open the seventh and the Lions scored the go-ahead run (3-2) on a double steal.
 
Bradley was able to rally again for a run in the seventh to force extra innings, however.  Senior Kelly Kapp got things started with a two-out single and walks to Schroeder and McCarron loaded the bases.  A passed ball on a strikeout which would have ended the game allowed Kapp to race home and tied the game against 3-3.
 
Using the international tie-breaker Southeastern Louisiana opened the top of the eighth with a runner on second and grabbed a 4-3 lead on a RBI single by Kalyn Watts.  With runners at second and third and two outs, Mattie Ort made it a 5-3 Lions advantage with a RBI single to center.
 
In the Bradley half of the eighth, Leonard made it a one-run game with a RBI double to center to drive home freshman Brooklyn Bane.  Two-out walks by Stoner and Kapp loaded the bases once again for the Braves with Schroeder due up.  After taking three consecutive balls to open the at bat, Schroeder faced a full count with two outs and the bases loaded before ripping a two-run double to left as Bradley rallied for the 6-5 walk-off victory.
 
Schroeder was 2-for-4 with two RBI and her sixth double of the year, while Leonard was also 2-for-4 at the plate to help highlight Bradley’s offensive efforts.  McCarron slugged her team-best sixth and seventh doubles of the year in a 2-for-3 day.  Hull picked up her sixth consecutive victory to improve to 6-1 on the year, coming out of the bullpen for the final two innings. T-town's Allison Apke had one at-bat but struck out.


Bradley 2, Delaware 1

Bradley pitchers Emily Visnic and Jaelen Hull combined to hold Delaware to three hits as the Braves topped the Blue Hens 2-1 in the first of two games Sunday at the Tennessee Invitational.
 
Visnic earned the victory for Bradley (11-8 overall), giving up two hits and one earned in five innings of work to improve to 2-1 on the year.  Hull came out the bullpen to throw two scoreless innings as she struck out four and walked two in her first save of the 2017 season.  The save was the sixth of Hull’s career as she tied the Bradley career mark shared by Ashley Birdsong (2006-09) and Beth Hawkins (1984-87).
 
Bradley managed just one hit through the first three innings and Visnic took a no-hit bid into the fourth before a two-out single.  Freshman Kealia Wysocki opened the scoring with a two-out solo homer in the top of the fourth to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
 
Delaware (2-11 overall) tied it up with a run in the bottom half of the inning.  Giovanna Kolofer broke up the Bradley no hitter with a two-out single to center and stole second.  She raced home to tie the game at 1-1 on a double by Alyshia Dellatore.
 
Both teams were retired in order in the fifth, before Bradley went back in front with a run in the top of the sixth.  Senior Caitlyn McCarron led off the frame with a triple to center and later scored on a wild pitch as the Braves grabbed a 2-1 advantage.
 
Hull took over for Visnic in the circle to open the sixth and had to work out of a jam after surrendering a leadoff walk.  A one-out single gave Delaware runners at first and second, but Bradley threw out a runner trying to steal and Hull got a strikeout to end the threat.
 
In the seventh, Hull gave up a one-out walk before getting a strikeout and groundout as she earned her first save of the season.  Bradley had just four hits against Delaware starter Jordan Cargile.  In addition to Wysocki’s homer and McCarron’s triple, junior Elizabeth Leonard had a hit and senior Kelly Kapp extended her hit streak to five game with a single and stolen base.  The stolen base was Kapp’s MVC leading 19th of the year, which ranks as the eighth-best season total in program history.

T-town's Allison Apke had one at-bat.

Jacksonville 3, Bradley 2

Senior Kelly Kapp extended her hit streak to six games and sophomore Julie Kestas limited Jacksonville State to five hits in the first complete game effort of the season by a Bradley pitcher, but the Gamecocks held off the Braves for a 3-2 victory Sunday afternoon to wrap up the Tennessee Invitational.
 
Jacksonville State (11-6 overall) tallied four of its five hits in the contest in the first two innings, stranding a runner in the first and scoring three runs in the bottom of the second.  Alexus Jimmerson followed back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the second with a three-run homer to give the Gamecocks a 3-0 advantage.
 
Bradley (11-9 overall) came up empty after Megan Mahaffy led off the top of the third with a double and Kapp followed with a bunt single.