Home Runs Power Bradley Past Illinois State

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Published on April 25 2018 6:52 am
Last Updated on April 25 2018 6:52 am

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State took advantage of four Bradley errors to plate five unearned runs, but the Braves tallied two homers among their nine hits and senior Maria Schroeder hit a two-run seventh-inning homer to power BU to a 6-5 victory over the Redbirds Tuesday at Marian Kneer Stadium.

Bradley (18-25 overall, 7-11 MVC) took the regular-season series from their I-74 rivals for the second time in three years with the victory and moved into a tie with Southern Illinois for sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.

Sophomore Allison Apke (Teutopolis graduate) had a two-out single in the top of the first as she matched the second-longest hit streak in program history at 15 consecutive games.  The Braves left her stranded at first, however, and Illinois State (18-28 overall, 9-10 MVC) plated two runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Riley Hale led off the ISU half of the first with a double.  The Braves looked to get out of the inning unscathed as BU starters Julie Kestas got a groundout and lineout for the first two outs of the frame.  Back-to-back Bradley errors which would have ended the inning allowed two runs to cross as the Redbirds jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

In the second, junior Gabby Stoner ripped a two-out double off the first base bag and came around to score on a Jillian Navarro double off the fence in left field to get Bradley on the board.  The Braves would strand Navarro at second in the inning after cutting the Illinois State lead in half at 2-1.

Bradley’s third error of the contest led to two more Illinois State runs in the bottom of the second.  Abby Turczyn reached on a one-out error and a Shannon Felde two-out single put runners at second and third for Allison Spence, who drove in both with a single to left as the Redbirds built a 4-1 advantage.

Freshman Stacia Seeton continued her hot hitting, leading off the top of the fourth with a solo homer to left.  Seeton, who has homered in three consecutive games and four of the last five, cut the Redbird lead to 4-2 with her solo blast.

Bradley threatened again in the top of the fifth with Schroeder following an Elizabeth Leonard one-out bunt single with a walk.  Seeton would eventually load the bases with a two-out walk of her own.  Junior Megan Mahaffy knotted the game at 4-4 on a bloop single to right just over the extended glove of Illinois State second baseman Abby Turczyn.

Illinois State went back in front on Bradley’s fourth error of the day with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and the Redbirds retired the Braves in order in the top of the sixth to take a 5-4 lead into the seventh.   

Bradley rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh to go in front 6-5.  Leonard drew a one-out walk and Schroeder homered for the second consecutive game, giving the Braves the lead with a two-run homer to left.  Apke would follow with single to right and pinch runner Sydney Young tried to score all the way from first on a two-out double off the bat of Mahaffy, but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

A one-out walk put the tying run on base, but sophomore Emma Jackson closed out the win with a fielder’s choice and a strikeout.  Jackson took over for Kestas in the fifth, not allowing a hit in 2.1 innings out of the bullpen as she improved to 7-5 on the season.  Kestas surrendered just four hits in 4.2 innings of work, while giving up five unearned runs.

The Braves will play their road series of the 2018 season Saturday and Sunday at MVC newcomer Valparaiso.  The series gets underway Saturday with a noon doubleheader.