ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Sophomore infielder Alyson Clemente (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after earning MVP honors at the Tiger Invitational in Nashville, Tenn., and helping the Bradley softball team to a 4-0 record and tournament title over the weekend according to an announcement by the league office Monday.
The first Bradley player to earn MVC Player of the Week honors since May 4, 2009, Clemente entered the weekend with a .429 batting average and continued her hot hitting, going 10-for-14 with nine runs scored and nine RBI. She hit .714 for the week with three doubles, one triple, one home run, a 1.286 slugging percentage and .765 on base percentage, helping Bradley (8-6 overall) outscore its four opponents 43-16.
In Saturday's opener, Clemente was 2-for-3 with a triple, homer, walk, two runs scored and four RBI in a 9-5 win against IUPUI. Later that day, she went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs in a 5-2 win against Tennessee State in Bradley's first true road victory of the year.
Clemente opened Sunday's play with three doubles in a 4-for-4 effort with three runs scored and three RBI to highlight a 15-2, five-inning romp over Morgan State. She capped the week with a 2-for-3 game in a 14-7 victory against Butler, collecting a pair of walks, two runs and two more RBI. Clemente has helped Bradley win five consecutive games for the team's longest win streak since 2009 and scored or drove in 17 of BU's 43 runs (40 percent) of the team's runs over the weekend.
Through 14 games, Clemente has matched her RBI total from her freshman year and ranks second in the Valley with 16 RBI this spring. She has already scored two more runs (14) this season than in 2012 and has scored or driven in 33 percent (28 of 86) of BU's runs this year. Clemente has a Missouri Valley Conference leading .524 batting average and also leads the league with a .600 on base percentage.
The Bradley softball team returns to action Friday, opening play at the Colorado State Classic in Ft. Collins, Colo., with a 10 a.m. game against Nebraska-Omaha.
