TEMPE, Ariz. – Bradley scored a run in the first and held a 2-0 lead after three innings of play, but a Utah State grand slam highlighted a six-run inning as the Aggies powered by the Braves 6-2 Saturday afternoon at the Kajikawa Classic.

Junior Kelly Kapp (Freeburg, Ill./Gibault Catholic) opened a 2-for-2 game at the plate with a bunt single and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts to lead off the top of the first.  With Kapp at third and two outs, senior Rachel Huggins (Mt. Zion, Ill./Mt. Zion) gave Bradley an early 1-0 lead with a RBI double to left center.

Bradley starter Julie Kestas (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) got out a bases loaded jam in the second unscathed and the Braves added another run in the top of the third.  Sophomore Telly Hunter (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) led off the Bradley half of the third with a bunt single and came around to score on a two-out double by senior Alyson Clemente (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) to give the Braves a 2-0 advantage. 

Utah State threatened again in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with two outs before Kestas and Bradley got a lineout to end the threat. 

After leaving seven runners on base in the first three innings, Utah State finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth.  A pair of hit batters and a single loaded the bases again for the Aggies for Victoria Saucedo, who hit a grand slam.  Alleyah Armendariz followed with a solo shot of her own to give Utah State a 5-2 lead and a Libby Pederson RBI double later in the frame pushed the Aggies' lead to 6-2. 

Bradley got a pair of singles in the fifth, but came up empty and the Braves failed to score in the sixth after two hits put runners at second and third with only one out.  Utah State worked around a one-out walk in the seventh as the Aggies took the game 6-2. 

Kapp was 2-for-2 with a run scored as she collected her third multi-hit game in four outings and ninth multi-hit performance in her last 13 games dating back to last season. 

Kestas suffered the loss for Bradley, giving up three runs on five hits in three innings.  April Brown scattered nine hits over six innings and struck out three in the victory for Utah State.

Bradley closes out play at the Kajikawa Classic Sunday with a 10 a.m. (CST) game against in-state foe Northwestern.