PEORIA, Ill. ? Bradley struggled offensively, managing a total of six hits off Northern Iowa pitching, as the Panthers swept a Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader from the Braves Wednesday afternoon at Laura Bradley Park.  UNI (14-17 overall, 2-6 MVC) topped Bradley (11-12 overall, 3-6 MVC) 2-0 in the opener and completed the sweep with a 6-2 victory in the nightcap.

Junior Ashley Birdsong (Otis, Ore./Taft) ended up on the wrong side of a pitcher's dual in the opener.  The Braves threatened in the first inning after a pair of UNI errors, but left runners at first and third to end the inning as neither team was able to get things going offensively in the early going.

Junior Trish Kowalewski (Yorkville, Ill./Downers Grove North) got the first hit of the contest for either team when she led off the bottom of the fourth inning with an infield single.  Kowalewski would advance all the way to third base after a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch.  Junior Alycia Bachkora (Overland Park, Kan./Notre Dame de Sion) drew a base on balls to put runners at the corners with just one out, but UNI's Jen Larsen would get out of the jam by striking out Lauren Meister and getting Jessie Musgrove to pop out.

Birdsong took a perfect game into the top of the fifth inning, before Crystal Keiper ripped a two-out single through the right side of the infield to break up the no hitter.  Birdsong would give up another hit in the frame, but would get out of the inning without surrendering a run.

Birdsong struck out the side in the sixth and both pitchers took shutouts into the seventh inning.  UNI would strike for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to take a 2-0 lead.  Larsen drew a one out walk and Rachel Gerking was hit by a pitch.  Birdsong got Michelle Phillips to pop out, but Keiper would deliver big blow when she belted a double to left center that scored both base runners. 

The two runs would be all that Larsen would need as she retired eight consecutive hitters after a Denise Jilka single to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning.  Larsen improved to 4-8 on the season as she tossed a complete game two-hit shutout.  Birdsong struck out 11 and gave up just three hits in the loss as she fell to 8-7 on the year with the loss.

Bradley's offensive struggles continued in game two as the Braves managed just four hits in the nightcap.  The Panthers pushed three runs across in the top of the second inning.  Three consecutive singles loaded the bases and Kelly Papesh drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field.  Michelle Phillips knocked in two more runs with a triple to left center to give UNI an early 3-0 lead.

The Braves got one run back in the bottom of the second inning after Jilka sparked a two-out rally with a double.  Junior Katy Dammer (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) plated Jilka with a single to right for Bradley's first run of the day. 

Three Bradley errors in the top of the fourth inning led to three unearned runs for Northern Iowa in the top of the fourth inning to push the UNI lead to 6-1.  The Braves committed back-to-back errors to start the inning and Papesh drove in a run with a groundout to the left side of the infield.  Ashley Lepley hit a double to left center to knock in the second run of the inning and a Bradley error led to the third run of the frame.

After getting three hits in the first two innings of the game, the Braves bats went cold.  After surrendering Dammer's single in the second, UNI hurler Lepley went on to retire 14 consecutive batters before Kowalewski belted her first homer of the season with two outs in the seventh inning.  Lepley got Bachkora to ground out to end the game as she improved to 7-6 on the year with the win.

Senior Rebecca Bishop (Carmichael, Calif./Del Campo) suffered the loss for the Braves to even her record at 1-1.  Bishop gave up six hits and six runs, three earned, in four innings of work in the setback.

Bradley returns to action this weekend when they open a three-game MVC series with a noon doubleheader at Missouri State in Springfield, Mo.