PEORIA, Ill. -- SMS collected 20 hits and scored 18 runs in a sweep of Bradley in a Missouri Valley Conference softball doubleheader Saturday, at Laura Bradley Park. The Bears won 11-3 in five innings and 7-3 during Saturday's action to claim the first two games of the three-game Valley series.

SMS (23-23-1 overall, 15-11 MVC) scored five runs in the first inning and cruised to an 11-3, five-inning win in the opener. Samantha Fleeman, Michelle Armentrout and Shannon Buslepp had consecutive singles in the first inning to score the first run of the game. A pair of walks drawn by April Johnson and Katie Martin scored another run and Alicia Jager delivered the big blow of the inning with a three-run double to left center field to give the Bears a 5-0 lead.

Bradley (16-34 overall, 3-22 MVC) scored two runs in the bottom of the first but was unable to cut into the lead any further as SMS scored one in the second and fifth in the third inning to cruise to the 11-3 win. Freshman Molly Bergeson walked to lead off the Braves half of the first inning and Trisha Kowalewski doubled down the left field line. Junior Joanna Pettit hit a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Bergeson with two outs in the inning and Kowalewski later scored on sophomore Elizabeth Wilson's infield single to pull Bradley to within 5-2.

Buslepp smacked an RBI double to center field in the top of the second to push the SMS lead to 6-2 and the Bears tacked another five runs on in the top of the third inning. After a leadoff walk, Jager and Tricia Holiway smacked back-to-back doubles to score two runs. A Bradley error later in the inning allowed two more runs to cross and Johnson capped the scoring with a two-out RBI single to give the Bears an 11-2 lead.

A single and pair of SMS errors led to a run for the Braves in the bottom of the fifth inning, but SMS escaped the inning without giving up another run to post an 11-3 win in five innings. Buslepp earned the victory for the Bears, improving to 13-11 on the year. Junior Brittany Dehler suffered the loss for Bradley as she fell to 9-18 overall.

SMS did most of its damage in the early going again in game two. Sara Cole led off the bottom of the first inning with a bunt single and stole second. Cole advanced to third on a Bradley error on the steal attempt and came around to score on a sacrifice fly to center field hit by Samantha Fleeman.

Martin and Jager led off the bottom of the second inning for SMS with back-to-back singles and advanced to third and second, respectively, on a passed ball. Martin scored on a suicide squeeze and Jager later scored on a wild pitch. Cole ripped a run-scoring single to left field to push the Bears lead to 4-0.

Bradley scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to pull to within 4-2. Bergeson and Kowalewski both singled to start the inning and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by senior Brittany Mynsberge. Pettit singled up the middle to score Bergeson from third base and junior Shayna Bradford hit a sacrifice fly to plate Kowalewski with the second run of the inning.

SMS got the runs back in the bottom half of the inning, however, scoring three times to push the Bears lead to 7-2. Two singles a walk and a Bradley error helped led to three SMS runs in the frame.

Bradley loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh inning, but pushed just one run across. Freshman Jessie Musgrove led off the inning with a pinch-hit single and Christine Cooney followed with a single of her own. Bergeson loaded the bases with a one-out walk and Kowalewski knocked in her 25th run of the year when she hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Musgrove to score. SMS' Melissa Porche got Mynsberge to ground out to end the game as the Bears posted a 7-3 victory in the nightcap.

Porche improved to 7-6 on the season with the win, striking out five and walking one in the complete game. Freshman Rebecca Bishop suffered the loss for the Braves, falling to 4-8 on the year. Bergeson and Kowalewski went a combined 7-for-12 on the day as the duo collected seven of the Braves' 12 hits and scored five of Bradley's six runs on the day.

SMS and Bradley close out the regular season Sunday with a single game at noon at Laura Bradley Park.