Box Score ORLANDO, Fla. ? Bradley got back in the win column after dropping a pair of games yesterday, defeating Western Carolina 5-3 at the Central Florida Early Bird Invitational Saturday afternoon.
The Braves (4-3 overall) pushed one run across in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Katelyn Kegley (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) reached on an error to lead off the inning and freshman Jackie Roth (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) drew a walk to put runners at first and second. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third and freshman Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) knocked in Kegley from third with a two-out single through the left side of the infield.
Bradley added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Senior Anne Creighton (Glide, Ore./Glide) led off the inning with a single and came around to score on an Amanda Clack (Hillsboro, Mo./Hillsboro) single. Clack later scored on a wild pitch to give the Braves a 3-0 lead.
Clack helped Bradley score two more in the bottom of the fifth inning. She had a one-out single and moved to second when Kegley drew a base on balls. Senior Alycia Bachkora (Overland Park, Kan./Notre Dame de Sion) provided the big hit of the inning with her second triple of the season to push Bradley's lead to 5-0.
Western Carolina (0-4 overall) capitalized on a Bradley error in the top of the sixth inning. Keri Burnside reached on a BU error and advanced to second base to open the inning. She moved to third on a groundout and scored on Beth Hauser's two-out single down the left field line. The Catamounts got two more runs on a two-out, two-run triple off the bat of Chelsea Schaffer to trim the Braves' lead to 5-3.
Sophomore Katie Dennis (Gilbert, Ariz./Mesquite) picked up her second victory of the year, improving to 2-1 on the season. Dennis struck out four and walked none in five and two-third innings of work. Clack picked up the save, tossing one and one-third innings of scoreless relief. She was also 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI at the plate, while Bachkora was 2-for-2 with two runs driven in to highlight the Braves' offensive efforts.
Bradley returns to action at 4:30 p.m. today against 25th-ranked Kansas to conclude the second day of play at the Central Florida Early Bird Invitational.
