Bradley Splits In Doubleheader

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Bradley softball took the series opener at Northern Iowa 9-1 in six innings to extend its road win streak to a program record 11 games, but the Panthers slugged four home runs in the nightcap and snapped a five-game overall win streak for the Braves with an 11-2 victory as the teams split a doubleheader at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex Friday afternoon.

The top two power hitting teams in the Missouri Valley Conference combined for six home runs and 23 runs on a windy afternoon in the twinbill as Northern Iowa (21-18 overall, 12-6 MVC) held on to third place in the Valley standings with the split.

After picking up the 12th road victory of the season (12-3) and 11th consecutive road win in the opener, Bradley (23-16 overall, 10-6) suffered its first loss in a road game since falling at then seventh-ranked Tennessee on Feb. 24.  The 12 road wins are the most for the Braves since posting a 12-8 road record in 1995.

In the opener, Bradley jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first.  Freshman Lucy Mead, who extended her hit streak to seven games with a 3-for-4 effort, led off the contest with a single and the bases were loaded after Keeler van Breusegen reached on an error and Allison Apke (Teutopolis) drew a walk.  Stacia Seeton drove in the first run of the afternoon with a single through the left side to plate Mead and van Breusegen later raced home on a wild pitch.

Northern Iowa answered with a run in the bottom of the first to cut the Bradley lead in half at 2-1.  Brittney Krodinger doubled to open the frame and scored on a single to center off the bat of Sammey Bunch.

The Braves struck for three more runs in the top of the third after back-to-back singles by van Breusegen and Apke to open the inning.  Seeton drove in both runners with a three-run homer to left, smacking her eighth home run of the year, to give Bradley a 5-1 advantage.  Seeton went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI to highlight the day’s first game.

Another three-run inning in the top of the fourth pushed the BU lead to 8-1.  With runners at second and third, Mead ripped a RBI single to left to drive in sophomore Vicki Zaluske, who led off the inning with a double.  van Breusegen plated another run with a groundout and Apke belted a RBI double to right to cap the scoring in the inning.

Mead got things going for Bradley again in the top of the sixth with a one-double to right center.  Apke drove her home with a single to left as the Braves took a 9-1 lead.

Senior Megan Mahaffy was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom half of the sixth to close out the 9-1 win.  Ashley Chesser had a one-out double and the Panthers loaded the bases with only one out on singles by Adara Opiola and Tianna Drahn.  Mahaffy settled down to strike out the next two batters she faced to finish out the victory.

Mahaffy matched a career high with five strikeouts in the complete game effort as she scattered seven hits and walked just one to improve to 7-4 on the year.

Chesser belted three home runs in the nightcap to help power Northern Iowa to an 11-2 victory as the Panthers salvaged a split.  Back-to-back doubles and an Olivia Brooks single to open the game led to a run and the Panthers plated another run on a groundout.  Chesser capped a four-run bottom of the first for UNI with a two homer to right.

Bradley couldn’t take advantage of a two-out Apke walk in the first or a one-out Kealia Wysocki single in the top of the second.  The Braves left two more runners on base in the top of the third after two-out singles by van Breusegen and Apke.

Another two-run homer by Chesser in the bottom of the third pushed Northern Iowa’s lead to 6-0.

Bradley finally got to UNI starter Jaclyn Spencer in the top of the fourth.  Wysocki drew a one-out walk and senior Katie Habryle followed with a two-run homer to right, pulling the Braves within four again at 6-2 as she ripped her fifth home run of the season.

Chesser struck again in the bottom half of the inning, however, as she ripped a two-out three-run homer to give her squad a 9-2 advantage.

Spencer retired Bradley in order in the top of the fifth and reached on an error to lead off the Northern Iowa half.  Emma Valainis closed out the game for the Panthers with a two-run homer to right to give UNI the 11-2 victory.  Spencer struck out 10 Braves in the complete game effort, limiting Bradley to just four hits as she improved to 5-2 on the year.

Apke went 4-for-6 with two walks and two RBI to help highlight the day offensively, collecting hits in both games Friday.  Mead notched three hits in the opener and her 47 hits on the year are now tied for the fourth-most by a Bradley freshman, while her 37 runs scored is one short of matching the school freshman record of 38.

Junior Kealia Wysocki slugged her 10th home run of the season and Bradley got a complete game effort from fellow junior Emma Jackson in the circle, but Northern Iowa took the series finale 4-1 Saturday afternoon at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex to claim the  series from the Braves.

Bradley (23-17 overall, 10-7 MVC) managed just one hit through the first four innings off Northern Iowa (22-18 overall, 13-6 MVC) starter Jaclyn Spencer before Wysocki belted a one-out solo homer in the top of the fifth to provide the only run for the Braves on the day.

Jackson had to work out of an early jam with the Panthers putting their first two batters of the contest on with a hit batter and walk.  UNI eventually loaded the bases on a two-out Ashley Chesser walk, only to have Jackson got a fly out to get out of the first unscathed.

After working around a two-out single for a scoreless second inning, Jackson found herself in trouble again in the third.  A leadoff double by Sammey Bunch and a two-out walk to Chesser put a pair of runners on.  Another hit batter loaded the bases and Spencer helped her own cause with a two-run double to left center as she gave Northern Iowa a 2-0 lead.

The Panthers struck for another run in the bottom of the fourth.  Back-to-back hit batters to start the frame put a pair of runners on and a Bradley error would load the bases.  Olivia Brooks drove in an insurance run with a single as the Panthers led 3-0.

Wysocki’s solo homer with one out in the fifth was just the second hit of the game for the Braves and she was just the second Bradley player to reach base to that point as she cut the Northern Iowa lead to 3-1.

The Panthers tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth.  With one out Bunch reached on a Bradley error in the outfield and advanced all the way to third on the play.  Bunch scored on another Brooks single to push the UNI lead to 4-1.

Bradley tried to rally in the seventh after sophomore Stacia Seeton and Wysocki opened the inning with back-to-back singles.  Spencer gave way in the circle to Brooke Craig, who induced a groundball double play on just her third pitch.  After the double play, Spencer returned to get a groundout and close out the complete game win as she struck out nine in the win, which improved her to 6-2 on the year.

Apke (Teutopolis) had a single for Illinois State.

Jackson scattered six hits and struck out four in the complete game effort for Bradley, but dropped to 4-5 on the season with the setback.