KENNESAW, Ga. – Senior Rachel Huggins (Mt. Zion, Ill./Mt. Zion) hit her team-leading third home run of the season and freshman Katie Habryle (Covington, Wash./Kentlake) added one of her own, but Bradley stranded six runners in a 9-5 loss to Rutgers in the final game of the Phyllis Rafter Memorial. 

Bradley (3-7 overall) loaded the bases in the second inning after Huggins reached on an error, a Taylor Morales (Spokane, Wash./University) walk and Habryle single.  Huggins scored on a Stephanie Campos (Bloomingdale, Ill./Glenbard North) groundout to give Bradley a 1-0 lead.

A seven-run third inning for Rutgers put the Scarlet Knights ahead 7-1.  A single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases before Rutgers tied it up at 1-1 on a groundout.  Rebecca Hall drove in two more runs with a single to right and a two-run homer off the bat of Bridget Carr pushed the lead to 5-1.  Melanie Slowinski followed with a solo homer of her own and another run later scored on a Bradley illegal pitch.

Rutgers (1-8 overall) added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Jordan Whitley drove in a run with a groundout and a sacrifice fly later in the frame pushed the Rutgers' lead to 9-1. 

Bradley struck for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth.  Junior Kelly Kapp (Freeburg, Ill./Gibault Catholic), who tallied her ninth multi-hit game of the young season, had a one-out single and senior Kendall Duffy (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) had one of her own to put runners at first and second with one out.  Sophomore Maria Schroeder (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) drove in Kapp with a single and senior Alyson Clemente (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) drove in Duffy with a sacrifice fly as the Braves trailed 9-3 heading to the sixth. 

Huggins led off the Bradley half of the sixth with a solo homer to left center and Habryle hit the first home run of her Bradley career later in the frame with a two-out solo shot. 

Trailing 9-5 in the top of the seventh, the Braves tried to mount a rally.  Schroeder had a two-out single through the left side and Clemente singled to put runners at first and second.  Rutgers hurler Whitney Jones got a pop out to end the threat, however, and close out the 9-5 win for the Scarlet Knights. 

Kapp, who hit .684 (13-for-19) with eight runs and five stolen bases in the five games at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial, was one of five Bradley players with two hits in the game. 

Bradley returns to action Friday at the Renegade Classic in Tallahassee, Fla., opening tournament play with an 11 a.m. (CST) game against UAB.