Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Bradley University Athletics

Share:
5
Winner Southern Illinois SIU 23-19, 6-10 MVC
4
Bradley BRAD 16-24, 5-10 MVC
Winner
Southern Illinois SIU
23-19, 6-10 MVC
5
Final
4
Bradley BRAD
16-24, 5-10 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Southern Illinois SIU 0 3 0 0 1 0 1 5 8 1
Bradley BRAD 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 5 2

W: Jones,Brianna (19-7) L: Kestas, Julie (4-9)

18
Winner Southern Illinois SIU 24-19, 7-10 MVC
10
Bradley BRAD 16-25, 5-11 MVC
Winner
Southern Illinois SIU
24-19, 7-10 MVC
18
Final
10
Bradley BRAD
16-25, 5-11 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Southern Illinois SIU 2 2 0 0 4 1 9 18 16 1
Bradley BRAD 3 0 0 5 0 1 1 10 11 3

W: Jones,Brianna (20-7) L: Kestas, Julie (4-10)

Duane Zehr

Braves Drop Pair To SIU

Share:

Story Links

Game Recap: Softball |
PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Softball was tied with Southern Illinois heading to the seventh in both games of a doubleheader only to have the Salukis score in the top half of the inning of both contests to post 5-4 and 18-10 victories on a windy afternoon at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
 
The squads combined for 10 home runs with Southern Illinois (24-19 overall, 7-10 MVC) slugging three in each game and Bradley (16-25 overall, 5-11 MVC) smashing four of its own on the day. 
 
In the opener, Bradley jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run homer by junior Megan Mahaffy.  Elizabeth Leonard led off the bottom of the first with a walk and fellow senior Maria Schroeder singled through the right side.  Mahaffy, who homered for the third time in five contests, ripped a shot over the center field fence to put the Braves in front 3-0.
 
Kyleigh Decker hit a two-out solo homer off the scoreboard in right center in the top of the second and SIU would add two more runs later in the frame on a two-run homer off the bat of Savannah Fisher as the Salukis pulled even at 3-3. 
 
Southern Illinois would later take a 4-3 lead on a two-out RBI double by Megan Brown in the fifth, only to have the Braves tie it up with a run in bottom of the sixth. 
 
With a career-best 11-game hit streak in jeopardy, sophomore Allison Apke smacked a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to once again tie the game at 4-4.  The homer was Apke's league-leading 11th of the year and her season total is now one short of matching the Bradley season home run record of 12 set by current Bradley assistant coach Rachel Huggins in 2016. 
 
Junior Julie Kestas, who took over for Bradley starter Emma Jackson in the fifth, retired the first six batters she faced including the first two hitters in the top of the seventh.  SIU cleanup hitter Katelyn Massa snapped that streak however, with a home run to right center as she gave the Salukis a 5-4 advantage. 
 
Sophomore Kealia Wysocki led off the Bradley half of the seventh with an infield single, but SIU erased the hit with a double play as starter Brianna Jones closed out the game for her league-best 19th victory of the year.  Kestas took the loss in the opener for the Braves, giving up just one run on one hit in 2.1 innings of work.
 
The nightcap also went back and forth, with SIU jumping out to a 2-0 lead on a Maddy Vermejan two-run homer in the first.  The Salukis tried to add to the lead, but would leave the bases loaded.
 
For the third consecutive game Bradley would hit a three-run first inning homer.  Schroeder singled and Apke drew one of her two walks in the second game to put a pair of runners on.  Freshman Stacia Seeton, who hit a three-run first-inning homer in Thursday's win against Illinois State, belted a three-run shot to center as the Braves went in front 3-2.  The homer was Seeton's seventh of the year and tied the Bradley freshman home run record shared by Wysocki (2017) and Trish Kowalewski (2005). 
 
Vermejan, who drove in seven runs in the second game, struck again in the top of the second; giving SIU a 4-3 lead with another two-run homer in the second inning. 
 
Mahaffy worked around a leadoff single in the third for a scoreless inning and had a four-pitch fourth before the Braves would use a wild five-run fourth inning to take an 8-4 lead.  Mahaffy got the inning started with a single and Wysocki followed with a double.  Gabby Stoner drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases and freshman Jillian Navarro drove in a run with a single to right. 
 
SIU got the first two outs of the fourth at the plate on back-to-back fielder's choices, before Schroeder was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in another run.  Apke followed a pitching chance with a two-run single.  Schroeder was able to take advantage of a defensive lapse by the Salukis, racing home from third with no one covering the plate to put Bradley in front 8-4. 
 
Southern Illinois answered with four runs in the top of the fifth to tie things up at 8-8.  A one-out walk and double off the bat of Jenny Jansen led to the first run and a double by Kyleigh Decker drove in another.  A Fisher single down the left field line drove in the third run of the inning and a Bradley error on the play allowed the tying run to cross.
 
Decker drove in another run in the top of the sixth with a two-out RBI single up the middle as SIU grabbed a 9-8 lead. 
 
Bradley wasn't done though, tying it up in the bottom half of the sixth.  Seeton chased an Apke walk with a single and pinch runner Sydney Young raced home from second on a two-out single by Wysocki as the Braves and Salukis went to the seventh knotted at 9-9. 
 
Southern Illinois would bust out for nine runs in the top of the seventh to build an 18-9 lead.  With the bases loaded and one out, Maris Boelens drew a walk to plate the first run of the frame.  Vermejan had the big hit of the inning with a three-run double to left, giving her team a 13-9 lead with her fifth, sixth and seventh RBI of the contest.  A Massa RBI single drove home another run and a BU error on a fielder's choice allowed another run to cross.  Haley Andrus capped the inning with a pinch hit three-run homer to center as the Salukis built an 18-9 advantage. 
 
Navarro led off the Bradley half of the seventh with her fifth home run of the year and Schroeder smacked a two-out double, but Jones was able to get a fly out to close out the SIU sweep and finish out her 20th win of the year. 
 
Bradley and Southern Illinois will conclude the three-game series Sunday with an 11 a.m. game at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.  The Braves will be holding a post-game home run derby to raise money for the American Cancer Society in addition to holding a free youth clinic immediately following the series finale. 
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Allison Apke

#16 Allison Apke

IF
5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
Emma Jackson

#7 Emma Jackson

RHP
5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
Julie Kestas

#15 Julie Kestas

RHP
5' 8"
Junior
R/R
Elizabeth Leonard

#5 Elizabeth Leonard

INF
5' 9"
Senior
L/R
Megan Mahaffy

#3 Megan Mahaffy

RHP
5' 6"
Junior
R/R
Maria Schroeder

#17 Maria Schroeder

UTL/C
5' 6"
Senior
R/R
Gabby Stoner

#11 Gabby Stoner

INF
5' 10"
Junior
L/R
Kealia Wysocki

#19 Kealia Wysocki

C/U
5' 9"
Sophomore
R/R
Sydney Young

#10 Sydney Young

OF
5' 2"
Sophomore
L/R
Stacia Seeton

#13 Stacia Seeton

IF
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Allison Apke

#16 Allison Apke

5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Emma Jackson

#7 Emma Jackson

5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Julie Kestas

#15 Julie Kestas

5' 8"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Elizabeth Leonard

#5 Elizabeth Leonard

5' 9"
Senior
L/R
INF
Megan Mahaffy

#3 Megan Mahaffy

5' 6"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Maria Schroeder

#17 Maria Schroeder

5' 6"
Senior
R/R
UTL/C
Gabby Stoner

#11 Gabby Stoner

5' 10"
Junior
L/R
INF
Kealia Wysocki

#19 Kealia Wysocki

5' 9"
Sophomore
R/R
C/U
Sydney Young

#10 Sydney Young

5' 2"
Sophomore
L/R
OF
Stacia Seeton

#13 Stacia Seeton

Freshman
R/R
IF