CEDAR CITY, Utah – Senior Caitlyn McCarron capped a perfect 7-for-7 day at the plate with a 4-for-4 effort and Bradley pitchers Julie Kestas and Jaelen Hull combined to hold Southern Utah to two hits as Bradley posted a 4-1 victory over the Thunderbirds Saturday afternoon at the Beehive Classic.
 
McCarron was 3-for-3 in Saturday's 10-1 victory over Wagner to start the day and followed it up by going 4-for-4 with a run and RBI in the afternoon.  Bradley (13-10 overall) also received one of its best pitching efforts of the season with Kestas holding Southern Utah (3-13 overall) to just one hit in five innings of work as she improved to 3-5 on the year with the victory. 
 
Hull pitched the final two innings of the contest to close out the victory, holding Southern Utah to one hit and strikeout out two.  The save was the second of the season for Hull and she broke the Bradley career saves record with the seventh of her career. 
 
A three-run top of the first gave Bradley an early advantage.  Senior Kelly Kapp led off the game with a bunt single and junior Maria Schroeder followed with a single of her own.  McCarron drove in Kapp from second with a single up the middle to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.  Sophomore Katie Habryle made it a 2-0 Bradley lead with a sacrifice fly and McCarron raced home on a passed ball as the Braves grabbed a 3-0 lead. 
 
Kestas surrendered a single to open the bottom of the first, but retired the next three batters she faced and went on to get 10 consecutive outs before hitting a batter with one out in the top of the fourth.  A double play ended the Southern Utah threat in the fourth, however, and Kestas allowed just three batters to reach base in her five innings. 
 
A Bradley error to leadoff the sixth helped lead to an unearned run for Southern Utah.  After Nicole Simonson reached on an error to open the inning, Hull took over for Kestas in the circle.  With two outs and runners at first and third, the Thunderbirds scored their only run of the game on a wild pitch. 
 
The Braves added an insurance run in the top of the seventh after Kapp reached on an error to start the frame.  Kapp moved to second on a passed ball and stole third before coming home on a Schroeder single.  Kapp's runs, which gave Bradley a 4-1 lead, moved her into third in career runs scored in school history.  The Braves had the bases loaded with no outs, but Southern Utah got the first two outs of the inning at the plate on a pair of fielder's choices and a strikeout ended the frame. 
 
Hull struck out the first two batters she faced in the bottom of the seventh and got a groundout to earn her school record seventh career save.
 
Bradley closes out play at the Beehive Classic Sunday with games against Utah State (11 a.m.) and Southern Utah (4 p.m.).