DES MOINES, Iowa ? The Bradley softball team dropped two Missouri Valley Conference games at Drake Saturday, falling 1-0 in ten innings in the first game and losing 12-3 in five innings in game two. The defeats drop the Braves to 11-21 overall and 3-13 in The Valley.

In game one, the Braves and Bulldogs carried a scoreless tie into the tenth inning, but not before both teams had opportunities to win the game in earlier innings. The best chance for BU came in the top of the seventh inning. Freshman outfielder Jess Boeger (St. Louis, Mo./Afton H.S.) started the frame with a single. Junior Alycia Bachkora (Overland Park, Kan./Notre Dame de Sion H.S.) added a single two batters later. After sophomore Lauren Meister (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South H.S.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior Trish Kowalewski (Yorkville, Ill./Downers Grove North H.S.) grounded into an inning-ending double play to leave the game scoreless.

The Bulldogs won the game in the bottom of the tenth inning on an RBI single from Kristin Bircocci. Drake strung together two singles and a walk earlier in the inning to load the bases for Bircocci's walk-off hit.

Bachkora led the Braves with two hits in opener. Bradley pitcher Ashley Birdsong (Otis, Ore./Taft H.S.) pitched a complete game for the Braves, allowing just five hits and the one run over 9.2 innings. She struck out three and walked four to fall to 8-13 on the year. Drake's Brynne Dordel tossed the ten-inning shutout to move to 14-5.

The hosts registered 13 hits in the nightcap, including four home runs. The Braves plated a pair of runs to begin the game for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a run-scoring single from sophomore Amanda Clack (Hillsboro, Mo./Hillsboro H.S.) and a bases loaded walk from senior Stephanie Ramsey (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S.). However, the Braves left the bases loaded in the inning.

Drake trimmed their deficit to 2-1 with a run in the bottom of the first and then took a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the second, scoring six times in the inning. Marilyn Buss contributed a two-run single in the frame, while Elena Leon added a one-out three-run homer later in the inning to comple the damage. Four of the six runs were unearned.

BU junior catcher Jacqueline Vitale (Indian Head Park, Ill./Lyons Township H.S.) notched an RBI single to right field to score Meister in the sixth inning to make the score 7-3, but the Bulldogs used a five-run fifth inning to put the Braves away with the eight-run rule. Erin Bly and Birocci each homered in the inning for the hosts.

Senior pitcher Rebecca Bishop (Carmichael, Calif./Del Campo H.S.) took the loss for the Braves. Vitale had two hits to lead the offense.

The two squads will conclude the three-game MVC series with a single contest Sunday at noon in Des Moines.