PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley softball team will make its first trip to the state of Georgia since 2003, traveling to Woodstock, Ga., for the fourth annual Phyllis Rafter Memorial.
The Braves (4-6 overall) open tournament play Friday at noon (CST) against tournament-host Kennesaw State (6-1 overall), before closing out the first day of play against Central Arkansas (6-5 overall) at 5 p.m. (CST).
Saturday's action includes games against Southeastern Louisiana (1-8 overall) at 9:30 a.m. (CST) and Alabama State (1-6 overall) at noon (CST). Bradley concludes tournament play Sunday with a 9:30 a.m. (CST) contest against Big Ten Conference foe Indiana.
Kennesaw State, Southeastern Louisiana and Alabama State are all first-time opponents for the Braves, while Bradley and Central Arkansas will be meeting for the second consecutive year after BU topped the Bears 4-1 at last year's Troy Classic in Troy, Ala. Sunday's game against Indiana will mark the first meeting between the two teams since the Hoosiers defeated the Braves at the 2006 Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Live stats for all five games at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial will be available at BradleyBraves.com
Sophomore transfer Bailiegh Basham (Mattoon, Ill./Mattoon/Lake Land C.C.) is Bradley's top hitter after 10 games, boasting a team-best .360 average and is hitting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, a home run, five RBI and three runs scored over the last six contests. Basham also leads the team in doubles (3), RBI (6), walks (7), slugging percentage (.600) and on base percentage (.515).
Senior Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) collected her 100th career hit Sunday at eighth-ranked Stanford and has a team-best 12 hits this season. Sherman, who led the team with 26 runs in 2011, was second on last year's squad with 56 hits. Fellow senior Jackie Roth (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) is approaching 100 career hits, needing four to reach the century mark.
Sophomore Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Sedro-Woolley) has continued to be impressive in the circle, boasting a 1.13 ERA over her last 31 innings. Lynch-Crumrine is 2-4 on the year with a save, with three of her four losses coming against teams ranked in the top 10 in the national polls.
Bradley will have next week off, before heading to Tampa, Fla., for the Under Armour Showcase March 9-11.
