MACOMB, Ill. - The visiting Braves outhit host Western Illinois, 10-6, but Bradley's inability to come through with runners in scoring position cost it in a 2-1 loss to the Leathernecks (8-12) in the opening game of this weekend's series Friday at Boyer Stadium.

The Braves (11-11-1) were just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, falling for the sixth time in seven games.  Adding insult to injury, a 2-out hit by Western Illinois No. 9 hitter, catcher Manny Reyes, plated the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning, the first earned run of the season against Bradley reliever Jacob Booden (1-1).

The Leathernecks scored an unearned run against Bradley starter Joe Bircher in the first inning.  After Dan Dispensa reached on an error and advanced to second on a walk, he scored on Tom Lilja's 2-out double for the quick 1-0 lead.

While Bircher kept the Leathernecks in check for the remainder of his 6.1 innings, Bradley pulled even in the third when designated hitter Greg Partyka drew a 2-out walk and came around to score on back-to-back singles by Max Murphy and Bob Schuch. 

Schuch's RBI single to left was Bradley's only hit with runners in scoring position.  In three of the last five innings, Bradley put a runner at second with less than two outs, only to come up empty.  In the ninth, Bradley loaded the bases on an Andrew Wasmund single, a hit-by-pitch and an outfield error, but the runners were left stranded when Partyka popped out and Murphy struck out looking.

Western Illinois starter Rich Mascheri allowed one run on seven hits in his 6.0 innings and Dan Russell (2-1) earned the win by blanking the Braves on three hits over the final 3.0 innings.

The teams will resume their 3-game series with a 2 p.m. contest Saturday at Boyer Stadium.  The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.

NOTES:  Freshman center fielder Max Murphy was 2-for-5 Friday and has reached base safely via a hit or a walk in all 23 games to start his career ... Junior Mike Tauchman, last season's team leader with a .343 average, had recorded only four at-bats over the previous 14 games while nursing a hamstring injury suffered March 3 at Memphis ... Tauchman started in left field and was 1-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch in five plate appearances as the No. 2 hitter in the Braves lineup ... Senior Rob Elliott, the team's leading hitter this season with a .365 average, missed his fifth consecutive game as he also nurses a hamstring injury suffered March 21 against UIC ... Senior reliever Jacob Booden had allowed only one unearned run in his first 10 appearances (11.2 innings) before Reyes ended the run.