MACOMB, Ill. -- Stuck in a slump which saw the team hitting .136 over the last five games, first-year Bradley head coach Buddy Foster decided to change up the lineup and the Braves responded by collecting 25 hits and scoring 14 runs in a sweep of Western Illinois in Macomb, Ill., Tuesday. Bradley won the first game 4-1 and routed the Westerwinds 10-0 in five innings in the nightcap to improve to 19-20 on the season.

The biggest change in the lineup was moving leading hitter Emily Bergeson from the #3 spot in the lineup to leadoff. Bergeson entered the day hitless in her last six games (0-for-17) and went 0-for-2 to start the doubleheader, before collecting three hits in her final five at bats.

The biggest story of the day may have been freshman Jacqueline Vitale, however, as she went a combined 4-for-6 at the plate with two home runs and three RBI. Vitale homered for the third time in her last four games and improved her season total to five in just 50 plate appearances on the year.

Vitale hit a solo homer in the second inning of the opener to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. A Western Illinois throwing error with two outs and runners at first and second in the top of the fourth inning allowed pinch runner Anne Creighton to score the second run of the game for the Braves. The run snapped a 32-inning streak in which the Braves failed to score a run without the benefit of a homer.

Another Westerwinds (15-27-1 overall) miscue led to another Bradley run in the top of the fifth inning when Bergeson scored from third base with two outs in the inning on a passed ball. Vitale doubled with one out in the sixth inning and pinch runner Katy Dammer scored the Braves fourth run of the game on a two-out Bethany Till single to push the Braves lead to 4-0.

Senior Brittany Dehler surrendered an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh as the Westerwinds broke up the shutout with two outs in the frame. Dehler improved to 6-6 on the season with the win, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Bradley collected 14 hits in just five innings in a 10-0 victory in the nightcap. Sophomore Jessie Musgrove knocked in two runs in the top of the first with a two-out two-run single and Vitale followed with her second home run of the day to give Bradley an early 4-0 lead. Vitale's homer pushed Bradley's season total to 21, breaking the previous school season mark of 20 set last season.

Emily Bergeson belted her second homer of the season with one out in the second inning to push the lead to 5-0. Two more runs crossed in the fourth inning. Molly Bergeson reached on an error and scored on a triple by sophomore Trish Kowalewski. Kowalewski came in on an RBI groundout by Joanna Pettit giving the Braves a 7-0 advantage.

Emily Bergeson drove in another run in the top of the fifth with a bases loaded single to plate one run and another run came in on a wild pitch. Emily's sister Molly knocked her in with the 10th run of the game with a two-out single down the left field to cap the scoring for the Braves.

Freshman Ashley Birdsong picked up her team-best 11th victory in the nightcap, improving her record to 11-8 on the year. Birdsong struck out four and walked one in the complete-game five-inning shutout.

Bradley finished the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 15-10 record. The Braves return to action Saturday when they open a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series with a noon doubleheader at Drake.