Bradley Claims Two Out Of Three Against Valparaiso

PEORIA, Ill. – Junior Allison Apke, Teutopolis graduate, drove in a pair of runs and went 3-for-4 at the plate, but Valparaiso collected nine hits and four walks as the Crusaders avoided a series sweep by taking the final game of the three-game set 5-3 Sunday afternoonagainst Bradley University at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.

Apke accounted for half of Bradley’s six hits off Valparaiso starter Kelsie Packard and drove in a pair to help highlight the day for the Braves, who had a season-best six-game win streak snapped.

Valparaiso (9-10 overall, 1-2 MVC) opened up the scoring with a run in the top of the first to take an early lead.  A one-out error allowed Peyton Moeder to reach base and she later scored on a two-out infield single by Hannah Dybalski as the Crusaders went in front 1-0.

Bradley (13-11 overall, 2-1 MVC) threatened in the bottom half of the inning after a Stacia Seeton walk and Apke single, but a flyout and strikeout ended the threat.

Both teams left a runner on in the second and Valparaiso pushed another run across in the third to take a 2-0 advantage.  Carly Trepanier led off the frame for the Crusaders with a triple to right and Moeder drove her home with a single to left.  Bradley starter Emma Jackson would get out of the inning without any more damage, however, as Valpo stranded two more.

The Braves finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third.  Seeton drew a one-out walk and came all the way around from first to score on an Apke double down the left field line to cut the Valpo lead in half at 2-1.

Bradley knotted things up at 2-2 with another run in the bottom of the fourth.  Junior Kealia Wysocki had a nine-pitch at bat result in a walk and pinch runner Carly Chovanec would later move to second on a wild pitch.  With Chovanec at third and two outs, junior Brooklyn Bane drew a five-pitch walk.  A passed ball on the Bane walk allowed Chovanec to race home from third with the game-tying run.

Sophomore Taise Thompson extended her season-best hit streak to six games with a two-out double in the fifth, but Bradley was unable to drive her home with the go-ahead run.

Valparaiso answered with a three-run sixth.  With two outs and runners at first and second, Trepanier ripped a single up the middle to drive in Addi Burke with the go-ahead run.  A two-run single later in the inning off the bat of Moeder would give the Crusaders a 5-2 advantage.

Bradley tried to a seventh inning rally after freshman Lucy Mead led things off with a double to center.  She would score on an Apke single through the left side to cut the Valpo lead to 5-3.  Thompson flied out to center field and Packard got a strikeout to end the Bradley half of the seventh and close out the victory.

Bradley returns to action Wednesday, traveling to Columbia, Mo., for a 3 p.m. game at Missouri.

Saturday Games

PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley softball hit four homers and received complete game efforts from seniors Megan Mahaffy and Julie Kestas as the Braves posted 9-1 and 8-3 victories over Valparaiso Saturday afternoon at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex to open Missouri Valley Conference play.

Mahaffy scattered six hits and struck out five in a 9-1 victory in the opener, while Kestas struck out a season-best eight hitters in the second game as she surrendered just four hits in a complete effort to help highlight an 8-3 win in the nightcap.  Senior Katie Habryle went 4-for-8 with a homer in each game and a combined six RBI to help highlight the day offensively for the Braves (13-10 overall, 2-0 MVC).

Bradley stretched its win streak to six games for the team’s longest streak since 2015 and the Braves started out league play 2-0 for the first time since 1986.

In the opener, Mahaffy got out of a jam in the first, with Valparaiso leaving a pair on base in the inning.  The Braves wasted no time taking a lead, plating a run in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore Stacia Seeton had a one-out double to left center and came around to score on a single off the bat of fellow sophomore Taise Thompson as Bradley jumped ahead 1-0.

Valparaiso (8-10 overall, 0-2 MVC) left two more runners on in the top of the second and would go on to strand nine in the contest.  The Crusaders were finally able to scratch out a run in the top of the fourth.  Jaymee Lawton, who was 4-for-5 at the plate on the day, had a one-out double and later scored on a one-out single by Addi Burke to tie the game at 1-1.

A five-run fifth inning broke the game open for Bradley.  The Braves had runners at second and third after a Grace French walk and Lucy Mead double for junior Allison Apke, who loaded the bases with a two-out walk.  Thompson drove in another run with a RBI single up the middle to give Bradley a 2-1 lead.  Habryle followed with the first of her two homers on the day, crushing a grand slam to left as the Braves led 6-1.

Mahaffy was able to work out of another jam for a scoreless sixth, capping the inning with her season-best fifth strikeout of the afternoon as Bradley led 6-1 heading to the bottom half.

French led off the Bradley half of the sixth with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch.  A Brooklyn Bane bunt single and Mead walk loaded the bases and French was able to race home from third on a wild pitch for the first run of the frame.  A Valpo error led to another Bradley run and Habryle gave the Braves their fifth run-rule victory in the last eight contests with a RBI single to center to close out the 9-1 win.

Mahaffy scattered six hits and walked two in the victory to improve to 4-2 on the year.  The fourth-inning run snapped a streak of 13.2 scoreless innings for Mahaffy, who has given up one earned run in her last 16 innings.

In the second game, Bradley jumped out to a 5-0 lead and cruised to an 8-3 victory to sweep the doubleheader.  Habryle helped get the offense going with a double to leadoff the second and Bradley would load the bases on walks by Jillian Navarro and French.  Seeton drove in the first two runs of the contest with a two-run single up the middle and Apke made it a 3-0 BU lead with a two-out RBI single to left.

Kestas retired Valparaiso in order in the first two innings, striking out four in the first two frames, and worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless third inning.

Her team gave her a five-run cushion after striking for two more runs in the bottom of the third.  Habryle ripped a one-out solo homer to left to make it a 4-0 lead.  Navarro followed Habryle at the plate and belted the first pitch she saw to nearly the same spot in left center to push the Bradley advantage to 5-0.  The Braves threatened to add more in the inning, but left the bases loaded.

Valparaiso finally got to Kestas in the top of the fourth with Lawton smacking a solo homer to left center to breakup the shutout bid and trim the BU advantage to 5-1.

A two-run double by Mead in the bottom of the fifth would make it a 7-1 Bradley advantage.

Lawton homered again in the Valpo half of the sixth to pull the Crusaders back within five at 7-2, only to have Bradley answer with a run in the bottom half of the frame.  Thompson, who drove in three runs Saturday, smacked a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth for her fourth dinger of the year and made it an 8-2 Bradley lead.

Valparaiso took advantage of a Bradley error in the top of the seventh to scratch out one more run, before Kestas shut the door on the Crusaders with her eighth strikeout of the day as she improved to 3-1 on the year.