T-town's Apke Takes Over Career Home Run Lead

Allison Apke knocks one out to take over the career home run record at Bradley University.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Bradley softball collected 14 hits, including a pair of home runs, and senior Megan Mahaffy tossed a complete game as the Braves took the series opener at Loyola 12-5 Sunday afternoon at Loyola Softball Park.

On a cold afternoon, Bradley (15-13 overall, 3-3 MVC) and Loyola (16-11 overall, 1-6 MVC) combined for 24 hits and 17 runs.  Ten different Bradley players collected hits and six Braves drove in runs in the victory, which improved BU to 10-4 in its last 14 games.  .

Sophomore Taise Thompson and Vicki Zaluske each drove in three runs to help highlight the victory, while junior Allison Apke (Teutopolis graduate) and sophomore Jillian Navarro both hit home runs.  Apke hit a solo homer in the top of the second to take over the Bradley career home run lead with her 22nd as a Brave.  Navarro, who hit a two-run shot in the top of the seventh, is now tied for second on the team with Apke with seven homers.

Bradley wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, plating a run in the top of the first to take an early lead.   Brooklyn Bane had a one-out single and sophomore Stacia Seeton followed with a double to right to put runners at second and third.  Thompson drove in Bane from third with a groundout to second as the Braves went in front 1-0.

Loyola, which put the leadoff person on base in each of the first five innings and all but one inning, left a pair of runners on in the bottom of the first.  Bradley’s lead was 2-0 after Apke’s solo homer to open the top of the second.

The Ramblers loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second on a pair of singles and walk to open the frame.  Bradley was able to turn a double play on a flyout to right, but Madison Ebeling drove in a run with a RBI single to right.

A three-run top of the third gave Bradley a 5-1 advantage.  With runners at the corners after singles by Lucy Mead and Bane, Seeton drove in the first run of the inning with a single to center.  Thompson, who now owns 20 RBI on the year, drove in two more with a single to center.

A Bradley error to open the bottom of the third helped lead to a Loyola run as the Ramblers cut the Bradley lead to 5-2.  The Ramblers struck for two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it a one-run Bradley lead at 5-4.  A hit batter and single to start the inning put runners at the corners and Jessica Shields scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Allyson Ivey.  Later in the inning, Emily Borg delivered a two-out pinch-hit RBI single to pull Loyola within a run.

Bradley broke the game open with a four-run sixth, however.  Thompson had a leadoff walk and senior Katie Habryle followed with a single to left.  Freshman Keller van Breusegen extended her hit streak to five games with a pinch hit single, which drove in pinch runner Carly Chovanec from second.  The Braves loaded the bases on a Samantha Smith walk for Zaluske, who drove in all three base runners with a double to center to give Bradley a 9-4 lead.

Mahaffy sat Loyola down in order in the top of the sixth and a three-run seventh gave the Braves a 12-4 advantage.  Chovanec singled to open the seventh and moved to third on a Habryle single.  A double steal allowed Chovanec to race home from third and a two-run homer by Navarro capped the scoring for the Braves, who took a 12-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Shannon McGee legged out a one-out triple for Loyola in the bottom half of the inning.  Ivey drove in McGee from third with a single to center, but was later thrown out at third on a Katie Kasubke single and Mahaffy got a groundout to end the contest.  Mahaffy picked up her team-best fifth victory of the year to improve to 5-3 on the season with the win.

Bradley and Loyola will close out the three-game series Monday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader in Chicago.