Bradley Sweeps Loyola In Softball

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Bradley softball combined for 18 hits and 16 walks on the day, posting 7-1 and 9-4 victories at Loyola Monday to complete the three-game sweep of the Ramblers as the Braves swept a three-game Missouri Valley Conference road series for the first time since 2015.

Sophomore Stacia Seeton went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, five walks, five runs and six RBI as she scored or drove in nine of Bradley’s 16 runs on the day to highlight the Bradley offensive attack.  The Braves (17-13 overall, 5-3 MVC) received complete game efforts in the circle from both senior Julie Kestas and junior Emma Jackson, with Bradley moving into a tie with Southern Illinois for fourth in the league standings with the wins.

In the opener, Seeton hit a three-run homer and drew a career-best four walks in addition to scoring twice, while Kestas struck out five and gave up just one run in her second complete game of the season.  The four-walk outing by Seeton was just the fifth by a Brave since 2000 and first since Kendall Duffy had four base on balls at Indiana State on March 19, 2016.

Bradley stranded 12 runners on base, including seven in scoring position in the day’s first game, but the Braves broke open a one-run contest with a five-run sixth.

After driving in three runs in Sunday’s win, sophomore Taise Thompson drove in a pair in the top of the third to give Bradley a 2-0 lead.  Freshman Lucy Mead had a one-out double and Bradley had runners at the corners after Seeton’s second free pass of the game for Thompson, who hit a two-run double to the fence in right center.

Loyola (16-13 overall, 1-8 MVC) threatened in both the third and fourth innings, before the Ramblers broke up a shutout bid by Kestas in the bottom of the fifth.  Bradley left the bases loaded in the top half of the inning and Loyola finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning.  Jordyn Cordell got things started for the Ramblers with a one-out double and moved to third on a Madison Ebeling single to left.  Cordell was able to score from third when Jessica Shields hit into a fielder’s choice as Loyola cut the Bradley lead in half at 2-1.

The Braves answered with a five-run sixth, however, to take a 7-1 lead.  Freshman Camryn Monteer was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Bradley had runners at second and third with one out after a Mead bunt single.  Keeler van Breusegen drove in the first run of the frame with a pinch hit RBI single to center.  Seeton, who faced a total of 31 pitches in the opener, ripped a 2-1 pitch over the fence in right center for her first of two homers on the day and Thompson singled and later scored on a RBI single off the bat of junior Allison Apke, Teutopolis graduate.

Kestas hit a batter to start the Loyola sixth, but got a pair of pop outs and a lineout to end the threat.  The Ramblers put two on to start the seventh on a single and walk, only to have Kestas strikeout Cordell for the first out of the inning.  Loyola had runners at first and third with two outs after a fielder’s choice and a comebacker to Kestas ended the contest as she improved to 4-1 on the year with victory.

Seeton continued her hot hitting in the day’s second game.  Mead led off the nightcap with a single and Seeton homered  for the second time on the day later in the inning, ripping a two-run shot to right to give the Braves an early 2-0 lead.  The Seeton homer, which was her seventh of the spring and moved her into a tie for fifth in Bradley history with 16 career homers, was the 46th of the year for the Braves to tie the school single season record set just last year.

Walks to Mead and Seeton in the top of the third helped jump start a four-run inning for the Braves.  Thompson collected her sixth RBI of the series with a RBI single through the left side of the infield to plate Mead from second and push the Bradley advantage to 3-0.  Apke followed with a two-run double to center to drive in both Seeton and Thompson and freshman Grace French capped the inning with a RBI single to right as Bradley built a 6-0 lead.

Loyola managed to scrape together a couple of runs in the bottom of the fifth.  The Ramblers had runners at second and third with two outs when Shannon McGee hit into a fielder’s choice to drive in a run.  Allyson Ivey plated another run with a single to right as Loyola trimmed the Bradley lead to 6-2.

A three-run top of the sixth put the game out of reach.  Mead walked to open the inning and stole second before coming around to score on a Seeton single.  Junior Kealia Wysocki added a two-out, two-run double down the left field line as the Braves extended the lead to 9-2.

Loyola got two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out, two-run McGee homer, pulling within five (9-4) and kept the rally alive with back-to-back singles before Jackson settled down to induce a groundout to end the game.  Jackson struck out four in her third complete game effort of the season as she improved to 3-4 on the year with the victory.

Bradley returns to action Wednesday at SIU Edwardsville, taking on the Cougars in a 4 p.m. contest which concludes the non-conference schedule for the Braves.