PEORIA, Ill. -- A busy weekend is on tap for Bradley Softball at Laura Bradley Park as the Braves host Southern Illinois in a three-game series Saturday and Sunday to conclude a four-game home stand. The Braves enter the weekend a half game ahead of SIU for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with three weekends of conference play left.
Bradley will take on the Salukis Saturday in a noon doubleheader at Laura Bradley Park, before wrapping up the series with a single game at noon Sunday afternoon. A free video stream of all three games will be available at https://www.youtube.com/user/schefftech/live and BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for the entire series.
The Braves will wear gold laces Saturday as part of the team's “Lacing Up” initiative to help raise awareness of pediatric cancer. The Braves are partnering with Go 4 The Goal, which helps children with cancer achieve their goals by spreading awareness of pediatric cancer, funding research and overall improving the lives of children battling cancer. For more information or to donate visit - https://donate.go4thegoal.org/fundraise/team?ftid=75284
In addition to the “Lacing Up” event, Bradley student group HEAT (Help, Empower and Teach) will be on hand as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Day.
Sunday, Bradley will host a free post-game youth clinic following the noon series finale. The clinic is open to all children ages 6-14 and requires no pre-registration. Participants are encouraged to bring their own equipment for the clinic, which will begin shortly after the conclusion of Sunday's contest. Sunday will also be Dog Day at Laura Bradley Park with Tazewell Animal Protective Society (TAPS) bringing pets available for adoption.
Sophomore Elizabeth Leonard (Olathe, Kan./Olathe East) helped highlight Thursday's 5-3 victory over I-74 rival Illinois State Thursday with a three-run double in the second inning. Leonard is hitting .377 with 14 runs and 17 RBI in Bradley's last 17 games and enters the weekend with a career-best seven-game hit streak. During her streak, she boasts a .385 average and has driving in nine runs to go with five runs, two doubles and one triple.
Fellow sophomore Erika Hansen (Fillmore, Calif./Moorpark) has had three consecutive multi-hit games and collected two or more hits in four of the last eight outings. Hansen, who is 8-for-11 (.727) in the last three contests, is 12-for-27 (.444) over the last eight games.
Sophomore Maria Schroeder (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) had a big series at Southern Illinois last year, going 6-for-13 (.462) with four runs, two doubles, one homer and four RBI in three appearances in Carbondale, Ill. Schroeder broke out of an 0-for-13 slump with a 2-for-2 outing against Boise State back on March 5 and is hitting .415 with 15 runs and 11 RBI in the last 20 games. She drew her team-best 15th walk of the season Thursday against Illinois State and her .343 average is now second on the team.
Hansen and Schroeder both have 54 career RBI in their near two years on The Hilltop, which is tied for the second-most RBI by a Brave prior to their junior season. Only Bradley Hall of Fame member and career RBI leader Kim Suffield drove in more runs (58) before the end of their sophomore year.
Following the weekend series against Southern Illinois, Bradley will play a doubleheader at I-74 rival Illinois State Tuesday afternoon.
