Box Score PEORIA, Ill. ? Three Bradley pitchers combined on a 4-hit shutout, while Dan Brewer and Justin Carr combined to match that total with two hits apiece, leading the Braves (16-15) to a 7-0 non-conference baseball victory against Illinois Tech (5-17-1) Tuesday night at O'Brien Field.
By snapping their three-game skid, the Braves delivered 28th-year head coach Dewey Kalmer his 800th win at Bradley. Kalmer now boasts 990 career wins in 39 years as a collegiate head coach, leaving him 10 shy of becoming the 36th coach in NCAA Division I history to achieve 1,000 career victories.
Bradley got all the offense it needed in the first inning by using a two-out rally to plate three runs. Second baseman Ryan Curry started the rally by drawing a walk, then advanced to third on Carr's single to right. First baseman Ryan Eigsti followed with a 2-run double to left field. After Colby Luttrell drew another walk, designated hitter Jason Acevedo plated Eigsti with a single to right.
The Braves pushed the lead to 4-0 in the second when Brewer hit a one-out triple into the left centerfield gap then scored on Paul Rice's fly ball to the deepest part of O'Brien Field, just left of straightaway center.
The four runs of support were more than enough for the Bradley pitching staff. Starter Jon Goebel improved to 2-1 on the season by allowing only two singles in his five innings of work. In 10 career innings at O'Brien Field, Goebel has allowed only those two base runners. Freshman Brad Altbach also allowed two singles in his two innings, while striking out five, and sophomore Bryan Porter retired all six hitters he faced in the final two innings.
The Braves got three more insurance runs in the sixth with another two-out rally. Brewer started the scoring with an RBI double, scoring Adam Kimble. After consecutive walks to Rice and Curry loaded the bases, Carr delivered a two-run single to complete the scoring.
Bradley will continue its six-game home stand Wednesday with a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Chicago State at O'Brien Field. Admission to all weekday Bradley Baseball home games is free. The home stand will conclude with a three-game weekend series against Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois, which will open with a 6 o'clock game Friday night.