Allison Apke Hits Two-Run Homer For Bradley

Freshman Allison Apke, a graduate of Teutopolis High School, hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth for her first career hit, but DePaul roughed up Bradley pitching for 12 hits and topped the Braves 11-2 Sunday morning to conclude play at the Troy Cox Classic.
 
Dylan Christensen walked to open the game for DePaul and the Blue Demons had an early 1-0 lead after she came around to score on a Megan Leyva triple.
 
Senior Kelly Kapp led off the Bradley half of the first with a single and stole second for her 12th steal in just 10 games.  The Braves were unable to push her across, however, and trailed 3-0 after a two-run second inning for DePaul.  With runners at second and third in the top of the second, Leyva plated another run with a sacrifice fly and Jessica Cothern drove in another run with a RBI single.
 
A Bradley error in the third led to another DePaul run and a three-run fourth pushed the Blue Demons lead to 7-0.  Nicole Pihl provided all the scoring in the frame with a three-run homer.
 
Christensen led off the DePaul half of the sixth with a homer and Erin Andris added a three-run shot of her own later in the inning to push DePaul’s advantage to 11-0.
 
Bradley tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth to keep the contest going.  Junior Caitlyn McCarron, who was 2-for-3, had a single to open the inning and scored when Apke delivered a pinch-hit, two-out, two-run homer for her first career hit.  Missy Zoch retired the next batter to close out the win for DePaul as she evened her record at 2-2.
 
McCarron and junior Elizabeth Leonard both went 2-for-3, combining for four of Bradley’s six hits.
 
Sophomore Stephanie Campos highlighted a nine-run first inning with a three-run homer and drove in six runs on the day to help Bradley to an 18-8 victory over Oregon State Saturday afternoon at the Troy Cox Classic.
 
The Braves (4-4 overall) picked up their third consecutive victory and handed the Beavers (5-1 overall), who were receiving votes in the latest national polls, their first loss of the season.  The 18-run outburst was the highest scoring game for Bradley since a 20-0 victory over Jackson State on Feb. 8, 2004.  In addition, Bradley picked up its third all-time victory against a Pac-12 school and first since topping 13th-ranked Arizona 2-1 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
 
Campos was 2-for-3 with two runs and six RBI on the day, while senior Kelly Kapp had three hits, two runs, one RBI and two stolen bases to help highlight the victory as four Bradley players had multi-hit performances.
 
Kapp opened the game with a single and scored the first run of the contest when junior Maria Schroeder was thrown out trying to leg out a double.  Senior Caitlyn McCarron, who extended her career-best hit streak to seven games with a double, scored when Megan Mahaffy reached on an Oregon State error.  Junior Elizabeth Leonard plated the third run of the inning with a bases loaded sacrifice fly and Campos cleared the bases with a two-out three-run homer.  Singles by Brooklyn Bane and Kapp along with a Schroeder walk loaded the bases for a three-run single by McCarron to cap the nine-run first.
 
Oregon State chipped away at the lead scoring two runs on three Bradley errors in the first and taking advantage of another BU miscue in the second to trim the advantage to 9-5 after two innings.  Bradley left the bases loaded in both the second and fourth frames.
 
The Beavers came up with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a one-run contest at 9-8.  Natalie Hampton followed a Bradley error to open the inning with a two-run homer and Alysha Everett made it back-to-back homers with a solo shot of her own as Bradley’s lead was trimmed to one.
 
Mahaffy took over in the circle for Bradley in the bottom of the fourth with no outs and a runner on first to retire the first three batters she faced.
 
The Braves broke the game open in the top of the fifth.  After Bradley loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, walk and Mahaffy single, freshman Kealia Wysocki had the big hit of the frame with a two-run double to center.  The bases were loaded again on a walk by Leonard and Campos plated another run with a two-out bases loaded walk to push Bradley’s lead to 12-8.
 
Oregon State left a pair of runners on in the fifth and the Braves struck for six more runs in the top half of the sixth.  McCarron was hit by a pitch for the second straight at bat and sophomore Katie Habryle smacked a two-run homer to left to open the scoring in the frame.  Three consecutive walks loaded the bases for Campos, who drove in two more runs with a two-run down the left field line.  Kapp drove in a run with a single to left and Bradley added another run later in the inning on an Oregon State error to build an 18-8 advantage.
 
Mahaffy sat the Beavers down in order in the bottom half of the sixth to close out the 18-8 victory.  She tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn her first victory of the year, giving up just one hit.
 
Apke had one at-bat but did not get a hit.