Softball Changes Weekend Schedule vs Loyola

Softball 3/22/2018 12:02:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- For the second consecutive weekend Bradley Softball has had to alter its home schedule due to forecasted inclement weather with the Braves welcoming Loyola to Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series Friday and Saturday.

The teams were originally scheduled to play a noon doubleheader Saturday and wrap up the three-game set with a single game Sunday, but cold temperatures forecast for both Saturday and Sunday along with a rain/snow mix on Saturday has forced Bradley and Loyola to adjust their scheduled series for the fourth consecutive year. The Braves and Ramblers will now play a doubleheader Friday at 1 p.m. and wrap up the series Saturday with a single game at 3 p.m.

BradleyBraves.com will provide a link to live stats for all three games of the series. Last year, Bradley and Loyola moved their series in Chicago up a day and only managed to play a Friday doubleheader due to weather. The 2016 series opened with a Friday night doubleheader at Illinois Central College and concluded with a Sunday afternoon game at Laura Bradley Park. In 2015, the regular-season series was scheduled to be played in Chicago, but was relocated to Peoria due to cold temperatures.

The Braves (12-14 overall, 1-1 MVC) own a 22-11 lead in the all-time series with the Ramblers (13-11 overall, 1-2 MVC) after the teams split a doubleheader in Chicago last season. Bradley is 10-2 against Loyola since the Ramblers joined the MVC for the 2014 season, which includes an 8-1 home record. In fact the Braves are 14-4 all-time at home against Loyola.

Bradley has broken out of a bit of an offensive funk in a big way, scoring 25 runs in the last 11 innings. The Braves had been held scoreless for a 24-inning stretch starting with the final four innings of the March 11 game at Louisville and carrying through the first six innings of the series opener against Northern Iowa on March 18, prior to the recent scoring binge. During the drought, Bradley was 11-for-80 (.138) with one double, compared to a .476 average (30-for-63) with seven doubles and three homers over the last 11 innings. The Braves opened Wednesday's 12-0 victory with nine runs in the first inning for the team's highest scoring frame since a nine-run first inning in an 18-8 win against Oregon State on Feb. 18, 2017.

In addition to high powered offensive outing in Wednesday's victory against Western Illinois, Bradley also received a complete game one-hit shutout effort by junior hurler Julie Kestas. Earning her second complete game shutout of the year, Kestas struck out six and walked two in the win. Bradley pitchers have combined for four shutout this season (most by the Braves since posting six in 2014). In fact, sophomore Emma Jackson has a pair of complete game shutouts as well, marking the first time the Braves have two different pitchers with a pair of complete game shutouts in the same season since 2004 when Brittany Dehler had five and Kristy Brod added four of her own. Over the last five games, Bradley's pitching staff owns a 2.48 ERA and has held hitters to a .231 average, while striking out 21 batters in 31 innings.

Sophomore Allison Apke drove in four runs in the first inning of Wednesday's victory against Western Illinois, ripping a three-run homer in her first at bat and RBI double to cap the scoring in the inning. Apke is tied for second in the MVC with seven home runs and leads the league with an .823 slugging percentage. Apke's team-best seven home runs is currently tied for the ninth-best season total in school history with the March 21 game against Western Illinois marking the halfway point of the 2018 regular-season schedule. She is the fourth player in program history to collect seven doubles, seven homers and 17 or more walks in a season joining a list which includes Alyson Clemente (2014), Alycia Bachkora (2009) and Brittany Mynsberge (2004). Apke is hitting .405 with runners on base and .393 with runners in scoring position this season.

Senior Maria Schroeder moved into eighth in career hits at Bradley Wednesday night, tallying her 177th hit as a Brave and needs four to pass former teammate Alyson Clemente for seventh on Bradley's all-time hits list. Schroeder is also one walk from tying the Bradley career walks record in addition to needing one RBI to take over sole possession in school history.

The weekend series against Loyola wraps up a season-long, six-game home stand for the Braves. Bradley will follow up the home stand with six consecutive Valley road games, opening the stretch March 30 & 31 with a three-game series at Drake.

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