CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Bradley smashed a pair of home runs against defending MVC Pitcher of the Year Jamie Fisher, but the solo blasts were the only runs the Braves on the day as Northern Iowa downed BU 7-1 and 4-1 to sweep a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at the UNI Dome.

Inclement weather and poor field conditions forced the teams to move the games inside, where the Panthers extended their win streak to seven games with a pair of wins.  Bradley (22-23 overall, 7-11 MVC) collected 11 hits off Fisher in the two games, but the Panthers limited the Braves to just two runs in the sweep. 

“We didn't bring our A-game to game one,” said Bradley head coach Amy Hayes.  “They attacked and we didn't.  Game two was a different story.  Mackenzie (Camp) had a good outing even though she gave up two dingers, she had much better command today.  Our hitters competed every pitch in game two, but we couldn't catch a break.”

In the opener, UNI (21-21 overall, 11-6 MVC) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a Gina Brown RBI single and Fisher held Bradley to just one hit in the first four innings of the contest. 

Freshman Rachel Huggins (Mt. Zion, Ill./Mt. Zion) got the Braves on the scoreboard with a solo homer in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1. 

The Braves loaded the bases later in the inning with two outs, but Fisher retired the next batter she faced and UNI broke the game open with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Brown, who drove in six runs in the first game, had a one-out, two-run single to give the Panthers a 3-1 advantage.

Bradley managed singles in both the sixth and seventh innings, but was unable to score and UNI put the game out of reach with four runs on just three hits in bottom of the sixth.  With runners at first and second after a pair of hit by pitches, Brown ripped a two-run double to right center to push the Panthers lead to 5-1.  Kristin Lock drove in another run with a two-out single up the middle and Haley Kriener plated Lock with the final run of the game with an infield single. 

Junior Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Sedro-Woolley) suffered the loss for the Braves in the first game, falling to 14-11 on the year. 

Caitlin Wnek gave Northern Iowa an early lead in the second game, hitting a solo homer in the bottom of the first to put the Panthers in front 1-0 and Kriener made it a 2-0 UNI lead with a RBI single to left in the bottom of the second.

Junior Marina Groenewegen (Surrey, British Columbia/Elgin Park Secondary/Southern Idaho) led off the top of the third inning for Bradley with her third home run of the season to trim the Panthers' advantage to 2-1.  The Braves left runners in scoring position in both the fifth and sixth innings, however, and UNI added two more runs in the fourth to build a 4-1 lead.

Brown singled to open the UNI half of the fourth and Kriener, who drove in three of four runs for the Panthers in the nightcap, followed with a two-run homer. 

Senior Mackenzie Camp (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone) struck out five and walked none in the setback for the Braves as she dropped to 8-11 on the year with the loss.  Fisher pitched all 12 innings for UNI and earned both wins to improve to 17-11 on the season. 

Bradley opens a three-game weekend series against Southern Illinois Saturday with a noon doubleheader in Carbondale, Ill.