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5
Drake DU 17-28, 11-13 MVC
7
Winner Bradley BRAD 18-20, 11-14 MVC
Drake DU
17-28, 11-13 MVC
5
Final
7
Bradley BRAD
18-20, 11-14 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Drake DU 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 4 1
Bradley BRAD 0 1 0 3 0 3 X 7 11 1

W: Branon, Raegan (1-3) L: Richards,Emma (1-8)

1
Drake DU 17-29, 11-14 MVC
18
Winner Bradley BRAD 19-20, 12-14 MVC
Drake DU
17-29, 11-14 MVC
1
Final
18
Bradley BRAD
19-20, 12-14 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Drake DU 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 3
Bradley BRAD 12 0 1 5 X 18 13 0

W: Schaller, Camryn (5-4) L: Hupke,Mackenzie (7-7)

2021 Softball Seniors

Senior Day Sweep

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Game Recap: Softball |
PEORIA, Ill. – Seniors Jillian Navarro, Stacia Seeton and Vicki Zaluske combined to drive in 14 of Bradley Softball's 25 runs on the day as the Braves opened the final home series of the 2021 season with 7-5 and 18-1 victories over Drake Saturday afternoon at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
 
Navarro went 4-for-7 with a home run, double and seven RBI to help highlight the sweep that moved Bradley (19-20 overall, 12-14 MVC) from eighth to fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.  Zaluske drove in four runs in a 2-for-7 day at the plate, while Seeton knocked in three in the two games to move into seventh in Bradley history with her 108th career RBI.
 
The 18 runs scored in the nightcap are a Bradley record in a MVC contest, surpassing the 16 runs scored earlier this year against Valparaiso and the Braves also posted their largest margin of victory in a conference contest (previous record was 15).  The last time Bradley scored as many as 18 runs in a game came on March 9, 2018 against Eastern Michigan (19). 
 
Bradley found itself in an early hole, giving up three runs in the first game of the opener and trailed 5-1 midway through the fourth before scoring six unanswered to take the first game.  Freshman Raegan Branon came on in relief in the first after the first four Drake (17-29 overall, 11-14 MVC) hitters reached base.  The Bulldogs managed just two unearned runs against Branon, who limited Drake to three hits in seven full innings of work as she earned her first collegiate victory.
 
With Bradley trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Navarro followed a leadoff walk by Grace French with a two-run homer to center.  The home run was the 18th of her career and moved her into sole possession of fifth in in career dingers at Bradley.  Back-to-back singles by Lucy Mead and Camryn Monteer put two on and a one-out walk by Taise Thompson loaded the bases.  Seeton drove in Mead from third with a sacrifice fly to right center that cut the Drake lead to 5-4. 
 
After leaving the bases loaded in the fourth, Bradley threatened again in the fifth, but left two more in scoring position.  The Braves, who left 12 on base in the opener, broke through for three runs in the bottom of the sixth.  With a full count, Thompson appeared to strikeout, but was awarded first due to an illegal pitch to open the inning.  A Drake error and bunt single by Avry Blume loaded the bases for Samantha Smith, who delivered a two-run, pinch hit single up the middle to put Bradley in front 6-5.  The Braves tacked on an insurance run on a RBI single by French to take a 7-5 lead. 
 
Branon worked around a one-out walk in the seventh to lock down the victory, with Bradley turning its second double play of the contest to close out the win.
 
The Bradley bats stayed hot in the nightcap as the Braves sent 16 to the plate during a 12-run bottom of the first.  Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases for Seeton, who drove home the first run of the game with a single to right.  Blume followed with a RBI single of her own to left and the third run of the frame came home on a Navarro groundout to the right side of the infield.  After Keeler van Breusegen reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases again, freshman Jordy van der Werf picked up her first career RBI when she was hit by a pitch. 
 
A Drake error led to another Bradley run and Camryn Monteer's second hit of the inning plated another run.  Zaluske blooped a two-run double down the right field line to make it 8-0.  Later in the inning Seeton drew a bases loaded walk and Navarro capped the 12-run inning with a three-run double down the left field line as the Braves built a commanding 12-0 lead after just one inning of play.
 
Freshman Camryn Schaller struck out a pair in the second and one more in the third, before Bradley added a run in the bottom half of the third.  Thompson doubled off the wall in center to start the inning and eventually raced home on a groundout off the bat of Blume.
 
Schaller, who took a two-hit shutout bid into the fifth, worked around a hit batter for a scoreless fourth and the Braves struck for five more runs in the bottom half.  With runners at second and third, back-to-back Drake errors led to three Bradley runs.  Blume tripled to right center to make it a 17-0 lead and Navarro ripped a run-scoring single to left as the BU advantage stood at 18-0 heading to the fifth.
 
Drake managed to scratch out a run in the top of the fifth when Skylar Rigby was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  A lineout ended the Bulldog threat, however, as Schaller completed her third complete game effort of the year to improve to 5-4. 
 
Bradley and Drake are slated to close out the series Sunday with an 11 a.m. game at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Grace French

#32 Grace French

P/UT
5' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Lucy Mead

#4 Lucy Mead

IF/UT
5' 8"
Sophomore
L/R
Camryn Monteer

#23 Camryn Monteer

IF/UT
5' 5"
Sophomore
L/R
Jillian Navarro

#24 Jillian Navarro

OF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R
Stacia Seeton

#13 Stacia Seeton

OF
5' 9"
Junior
R/R
Samantha Smith

#12 Samantha Smith

OF/C
5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
Taise Thompson

#1 Taise Thompson

P/U
5' 3"
Junior
R/R
Keeler van Breusegen

#8 Keeler van Breusegen

OF
5' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Vicki Zaluske

#34 Vicki Zaluske

IF
5' 5"
Junior
R/R
Camryn Schaller

#9 Camryn Schaller

P/UT
5' 8"
Freshman
L/R

Players Mentioned

Grace French

#32 Grace French

5' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
P/UT
Lucy Mead

#4 Lucy Mead

5' 8"
Sophomore
L/R
IF/UT
Camryn Monteer

#23 Camryn Monteer

5' 5"
Sophomore
L/R
IF/UT
Jillian Navarro

#24 Jillian Navarro

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
OF
Stacia Seeton

#13 Stacia Seeton

5' 9"
Junior
R/R
OF
Samantha Smith

#12 Samantha Smith

5' 6"
Sophomore
R/R
OF/C
Taise Thompson

#1 Taise Thompson

5' 3"
Junior
R/R
P/U
Keeler van Breusegen

#8 Keeler van Breusegen

5' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
OF
Vicki Zaluske

#34 Vicki Zaluske

5' 5"
Junior
R/R
IF
Camryn Schaller

#9 Camryn Schaller

5' 8"
Freshman
L/R
P/UT