SIUE Downs Bradley, EIU Wins 10th Straight

Bradley Softball took a 3-1 lead on a Gabby Stoner two-out triple in the third, but the Braves stranded 12 runners on the day and SIU Edwardsville rallied for three runs in the fifth to top the Braves 4-3 Wednesday afternoon at the Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.

Both teams got on the scoreboard early, plating runs in the first inning.  SIU Edwardsville (15-11 overall) struck first with a run in the first after Bailley Concatto led off the game with a single and Zoe Schafer drew a one-out walk to put two runners on.  Concatto came around to score on a Tess Eby RBI single down the left field line as the Cougars grabbed an early 1-0 lead.  Bradley starter Julie Kestas would get out of a bases loaded jam to end the inning, however, and limit SIUE to just the one run.

In the bottom of the first, senior Maria Schroeder got things started for Bradley (15-20 overall) with an infield single.  Sophomore Allison Apke (Teutopolis graduate) collected her team-leading 35th RBI of the year with a double to left, driving in Schroeder from first to tie the game at 1-1.

Kestas erased a SIUE single with a double play to end the second and made just three pitches to retire the Cougars in a scoreless third inning.

The Braves took a 3-1 lead with two runs on just one hit in the bottom half of the third.  Apke drew the first of her two walks and freshman Taise Thompson drew a four-pitch walk of her own to put runners at first and second.  Stoner roped a triple into the right center field gap to drive in both runners and put Bradley in front 3-1.

Kestas sat SIU Edwardsville down in order again in the fourth and Bradley threatened to add to the lead in the bottom half of the frame.  Vicki Zaluske had a one-out single and Schroeder reached on a fielder’s choice.  Freshman Stacia Seeton drew one of BU’s nine walks on the day to load the bases, but a popout ended the threat as the Braves left bases loaded for the second time in the first four innings.

A leadoff walk and two Bradley errors helped lead to a three-run fifth for SIUE.  Sydney Bina drew a four-pitch walk to open the inning and pinch runner Janie Smith came around to score on a triple by Alana Cobb-Adams.  A sacrifice fly off the bat of Concatto drove in Cobb-Adams from third to tie the game at 3-3.  After a two-out single by Schafer, a Bradley error which would have ended the inning allowed another run to score as SIUE went back in front 4-3.

The Braves came up empty after a one-out Jillian Navarro single in the fifth and couldn’t take advantage of a pair of walks in the sixth.  A Navarro one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh once again brought the go-ahead run to the plate for the Braves, but SIUE hurler Emily Ingles struck out the next two batters she faced to close out the 4-3 win for the Cougars.

Ingles picked up the win for SIUE out of the bullpen, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings in relief as she improved to 10-5 on the season with the victory.

Bradley opens a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road series Saturday with a noon doubleheader at Missouri State.

EIU 6, Southeast Missouri 0

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois softball kept a pair of streaks intact on Wednesday afternoon as the Panthers have now won ten straight games and remained unblemished in the Ohio Valley Conference at 6-0 after EIU swept a conference doubleheader against Southeast Missouri.

EIU won both games by a 4-1 score as the Panthers improved to 27-8 overall, 6-0 in the OVC.  SEMO is now 22-15 overall, 6-4 in the OVC.  The Panthers return to action on Friday at UT Martin, this is an adjustment to the original schedule due to forecasted bad weather on Saturday afternoon.

Game One

In game one of the doubleheader Southeast Missouri jumped on the board in the first with a pair of hits as Parker Bandy and Rachel Anderson led off with back-to-back singles.  Bandy would come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Sarah Messex.

That would be the only damage EIU senior pitcher Jessica Wireman would allow on the afternoon as she allowed just three hits the remainder of the game while striking out 12 Redhawk batters.  Wireman improved to 13-3 on the season with the complete game win.

The Panthers evened the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second against SEMO starter Madeline Krumrey.  Breya Cooper delivered the big hit with a double down the left field line that scored Mia Davis.

Haley Mitchell would then provide Wireman all the insurance she would need in the third with a three-run homerun to right field.  Andrea Roberts and Mady Poulter scored on the homerun after Roberts opened the inning with a triple.

Mitchell finished the game 2-for-3 while Davis was 3-for-3 at the plate.  

SEMO had five different players all pick up singles in the game.  Krumrey fell to 10-5 in the circle.

Game Two

In the second game the long ball again proved to be the difference as the Panthers scored two runs in the third and two runs in the sixth.

Leading 2-1 in the sixth inning Davis drove a pitch to left center for a two-run homerun against SEMO starting pitcher Haley Thogmartin.  The hit would chase Thogmartin from the game as she fell to 7-6 on the year.

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the second inning as Poulter had an RBI double to score Bear.  Mitchell would follow with an RBI single through the left side.

Michelle Rogers allowed just three hits in the complete game win as she improved to 12-3 on the year.  The senior did have to pitch out of a couple of jams as two of the three SEMO hits went for extra bases.  Claudia Gallo had a triple and Abby Tillotson had a double.

SEMO’s run in the fourth inning started with a walk to Messex and a single down the right field line by pinch hitter Madison Harris that advanced Messex to third base.  The Redhawks would execute the double steal allowing Messex to score.  With runners then at second and third with two outs, Randi Dae Conway laced a hit to left center but was called out at the plate due to making contact with the ball outside the batter’s box.   That out ended the inning and took what would have been a 3-2 SEMO lead off the board.

Mitchell was 2-for-3 in the night cap for EIU while Cooper was 2-for-2.