PEORIA, Ill. -- Western Illinois jumped out to an 8-3 lead after three innings, but sophomore Jaelen Hull (Clifton, Ill./Bishop McNamara) came out of the bullpen to hold the Leathernecks to one hit over the final 4.1 innings and Bradley scored seven unanswered runs to rally for a 10-8 victory Tuesday afternoon at Laura Bradley Park.

The Braves, who earned their fourth straight victory and won for the fifth time in seven games, held a 2-1 lead after a Shannon King (San Jose Calif./Archbishop Mitty) two-run double to right center in the bottom of the first.

Western Illinois scored four runs in the second on five hits and added three more runs in the top of the third to build an 8-3 advantage through three innings. 

Hull took over in the circle with two outs and a runner at third in the top of the third to shut down the Leathernecks.  She got a groundout to end the inning and went on to retire nine consecutive hitters before surrendering a two-out single in the sixth.  A two-out walk in the top of the seventh was the only other batter Hull allowed in her 4.1 innings of relief work.

Trailing 8-3 in the bottom of the fourth, freshman Erika Hansen (Fillmore, Calif./Moorpark) started the rally when she ripped a two-out solo homer to left to pull Bradley within four runs at 8-4.  Hansen, who also drove in a run in the second with a two-out single, collected her team-best third homer of the year.

Fellow freshman Maria Schroeder (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) added a solo home run of her own in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Western Illinois lead to 8-5. 

A wild five-run sixth helped the Braves jump in front 10-8.  Senior Brittany Burgess (Utica, Ill./St. Bede) led off the frame with a triple to right center and sophomore Kelly Kapp (Freeburg, Ill./Gibault Catholic) followed with a bunt single.  Hansen drove in her third run of the game and team-best 28th run of the year with a single up the middle, but Kapp was thrown out at the plate trying to score all the way from first on the play for the first out of the inning.

Hansen came around to score when Western Illinois left fielder Holly Hoelting committed an error on a Caitlyn McCarron (Dallas, Ore./Dallas) single to make it a one-run WIU lead at 8-7.  Senior Lexi Cremeens (Dix, Ill./Mount Vernon) drew a walk and King had an infield single to load the bases. 

With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth it appeared Western Illinois was going to get out of the jam and take a one-run lead into the seventh when pinch hitter Kathryn Spenn (Williamsville, Ill./Williamsville) hit a towering popup to left.  Hoelting dropped the ball in left for her second error of the inning, however, to allow all three base runners to score as Bradley took a 10-8 lead. 

Hull pitched around a two-out walk in the seventh to close out the come-from-behind victory.  She struck out two and walked one as she improved to 3-8 on the year with the win.

Seven of Bradley's 10 runs came with two outs as the Braves were 6-for-13 with two outs against Western Illinois pitching.  Hansen and McCarron both went 3-for-4 at the plate as they combined for six of Bradley's 13 hits.  Hansen scored twice and drove in three runs.  King also had a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-3 with one run and two RBI. 

Bradley opens a three-game series against Indiana State Friday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Laura Bradley Park.