Box Score SEATTLE, Wash. – After having its opener at the Husky Classic cancelled due to inclement weather and waiting out a near 90-minute delay to the day's second game, Bradley softball fell at Seattle 5-4 in eight innings Friday night.
Friday's opener at the Husky Classic originally scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CST) against Kent State was cancelled due to rain the Seattle, Wash., area. The Braves finally took the field at almost 9:30 p.m. (CST) Friday night at Seattle in a game which was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. (CST).
Junior Kelly Kapp (Freeburg, Ill./Gibault Catholic) helped Bradley jump out to an early 1-0 lead after leading off the contest with a bunt single. Senior Kendall Duffy (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) drove in Kapp with a triple to right as she collected her career-best ninth extra-base hit of the season.
Seattle struck for three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead. A two-out RBI double by Isabella Geronimo tied the game at 1-1 and two-run double off the bat of Maddy Kristjanson put the Redhawks ahead 3-1.
Sophomore Erika Hansen (Fillmore, Calif./Moorpark) returned to the starting lineup for the first time in 14 games and belted a solo homer in the top of the fifth to pull the Braves within a run at 3-2.
The Braves struck for another run in the top of the seventh to force extra innings. Bradley had a runner at third with one out after an Alyson Clemente (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) walk along with an error and a fly out. Hansen tied the game at 3-3 with a double to left, which plated Clemente from third.
Bradley starter Jaelen Hull (Clifton, Ill./Bishop McNamara) retired Seattle in order in the seventh as the Braves went to extra innings for the first time in 2016.
Using the international tie-breaker, Bradley opened the eighth inning with a runner at second base and sophomore Taylor Morales (Spokane, Wash./University) gave the Braves a 4-3 lead with a one-out RBI single.
Seattle answered with two runs in the bottom half of the eighth to pull out the 5-4 victory, however. A single to leadoff the frame and sacrifice bunt gave the Redhawks runners at second and third with one out for Geronimo, who tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Rose Saenz knocked in the game-winning run with a RBI single to left as Bradley dropped its first game at the Husky Classic 5-4.
Bradley will continue play at the Husky Classic Saturday with a 1:15 p.m. (CST) game against Boise State.