PEORIA, Ill. -- After dropping the first game of a doubleheader to DePaul 4-1, Bradley Softball rallied for two runs in the sixth to pull out a 2-1 victory in the nightcap and split the twinbill with the Blue Demons Monday afternoon at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
On a warm and windy day, Bradley (3-6 overall) got solid work out of the bullpen with the BU relievers combining for 7.2 shutout innings and surrendering a combined three hits between the two contests.
In the nightcap, freshman hurler Raegan Branon got out an early jam with DePaul (7-7 overall) stranding a pair in scoring position in the top of the second. The Blue Demons managed to push a single run across in the top of the third. Angela Scalzitti drew a one-out walk and eventually came home on a two-out single by Brooke Johnson as DePaul grabbed the 1-0 lead.
Bradley managed just two hits through the first five innings off DePaul starter Tori Meyer and the Blue Demons threatened to add to the 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth. Freshman
Camryn Schaller came on in the circle after a leadoff single to open the DePaul fifth knocked Branon from the contest. The Braves threw out pinch runner Zoie Rettig trying to steal second and Schaller struck out a pair to keep the Blue Demons from adding any insurance runs.
Sophomore
Camryn Monteer, who had three hits on the day, led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to left and came all the way around to score on a double by
Vicki Zaluske to tie it up at 1-1. After
Taise Thompson drew a walk, Zaluske and pinch runner
Morgan Radford moved to second and third with a double steal. Sophomore
Keeler van Breusegen drove in Zaluske with the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to left as Bradley went in front 2-1.
Schaller worked around a one-out single in the seventh to close out the first win of her collegiate career. She struck out four and walked one in three innings out of the bullpen, improving to 1-0 on the year.
In the opener, DePaul starter Krista Dalgarn held Bradley to just three hits and struck out 11 in a complete game effort. She had an early lead after her team got a run in the top of the first. Scalzitti walked to open the game and promptly stole second. She came around to score on a single by Maranda Gutierrez.
The Braves answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning, however. Monteer drew a one-out walk and moved all the way to third on a wild pitch that rolled to the backstop. Monteer eventually came home on an infield single by van Breusegen to knot the score at 1-1.
A three-run top of the second put DePaul on top 4-1. Pearl Barroso drove home a run with a one-out single and Gutierrez had the big hit of the game with a two-out, two-run single to highlight the inning.
Bradley threatened in the third, loading the bases on singles by Zaluske and Monteer along with a four-pitch walk by Thompson. The Braves came up empty, unfortunately, with a foul out and fielder's choice ending the threat.
Thompson came out of the bullpen with one on and one out in the top of the third to retire eight straight DePaul hitters before a leadoff walk to open the sixth. She regrouped to retire the final six batters of the contest as she gave up no hits and struck out three in 4.2 innings of work.
Dalgarn was just as good down the stretch for DePaul, however, retiring the Braves in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth after escaping the bases loaded jam in the third. She worked around a hit batter in the bottom of the seventh, before a flyout and strikeout capped the 4-1 DePaul victory.
Bradley heads to Johnson City, Tenn., this weekend for the Buccaneer Classic where the Braves will open tournament play Saturday at 10 a.m. (CST) against Akron.
