Softball Set For Buccaneer Classic

Jared Anderson

Softball 3/10/2021 3:43:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Softball hits the road again after splitting a home doubleheader with DePaul Monday, as the Braves head to Johnson City, Tenn., for the Buccaneer Classic where they will play a pair of games against Akron and tournament-host East Tennessee State Saturday and Sunday.

Bradley (3-6 overall) opens the tournament Saturday at 10 a.m. (CST) against Akron (1-7 overall) and will face East Tennessee State (5-3 overall) at 2:30 p.m. (CST) later that same day. Sunday's action features another 10 a.m. (CDT) matchup with Akron before the Braves wrap up the weekend with a 12:15 p.m. (CDT) rematch with East Tennessee State.

No video streaming will be available for this weekend's Buccaneer Classic, but BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for all four contests.

Bradley has faced Akron just once previously, with the Zips claiming a neutral site game in Muncie, Ind., during the 1991 season. The Braves are 2-0 all-time against East Tennessee State, taking a pair of games from the Buccaneers in Bowling Green, Ky., in 2002.

Tennessee has been a frequent stop for the Braves, with Bradley traveling to the Volunteer State for the sixth consecutive year. In fact, the Braves have made three trips to Tennessee over the last two years and have played in the Volunteer State in six of the last eight seasons. Overall, Bradley is 27-35 all-time in the state of Tennessee after posting a 3-2 record at last year's Governors Classic in Clarksville, Tenn.

Junior Vicki Zaluske has shown off some power in the early stages of the 2021 season, boasting a team-best four extra-base hits. Zaluske, who homered for the second time in her career with a solo blast in the March 2 win against Illinois-Springfield, has doubled her extra-base hit total (2) from last year in just 23 at bats vs. her 39 at bats from the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Zaluske entered the season with 10 career extra-base hits, but is leading the team with a .565 slugging percentage.

Bradley had just two hits through the first five innings and trailed DePaul 1-0 heading to the bottom of the sixth of Monday's doubleheader nightcap before the Braves struck for two runs to rally for the victory. BU won a game in which it trailed after the fifth inning for the first time since an 8-7 comeback victory against Indiana State on April 28, 2019; using a four-run sixth. The Braves got the game-tying run against DePaul on a double by Zaluske and she later scored the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Keeler van Breusegen to win the game 2-1. Bradley was also helped out in the top of the seventh with Jillian Navarro making a diving grab in left center for the first out of the inning that was named to ESPN's Top 10 Plays of the Day.

Junior pitcher/utility Taise Thompson has been lights out coming of the bullpen for the Braves early on in 2021. Thompson retired the first eight hitters she faced Monday in 4.2 scoreless innings against DePaul. In fact, she owns a team-best 2.15 ERA and has held hitters to a .152 batting average. Excluding last week's outing against Miami (Ohio) when she gave up three earned runs in 2.2 innings despite striking out a career-high six batters, Thompson owns a 0.68 ERA and allowed just four hits in her 10.1 innings (.114 average).

The Buccaneer Classic marks the final weekend of non-conference play for the Braves, who will host Valparaiso March 20 & 21 in a four-game series at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex to start the Missouri Valley Conference slate. The first three games of the series with Valparaiso will count toward the MVC standings with the fourth game considered a non-conference contest.

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