The Braves finished their non-conference schedule with a doubleheader at Loyola Chicago, dropping both games against the Ramblers.
The first game of the day was ruled by defense and pitching. Only three hits were tallied throughout the game, all of which belonged to the Ramblers as the Braves weren't able to secure a ball in play.
Camryn Schaller started in the circle for Bradley, throwing five innings with one walk and five strikeouts.
Kierston McCoy would replace Schaller for the final inning, getting one groundout and two fly-outs to complete the sixth.
Lauren DeRolf,
Addie Welsh and
Bailey Sample were the only baserunners in the game, with the first two drawing walks and Sample getting hit by a pitch.
The second game of the day would end up being the opposite of the first, with offenses shining and a final score of 10-7 in favor of Loyola Chicago. After the second inning, the Braves found themselves down 0-6, but a massive third inning propelled them to within two runs. Welsh would lead off the inning with a double, followed by a single from
Angela Cirone. Cirone would be thrown out at second on a fielder's choice with DeRolf at the plate, and DeRolf then advanced to second after
Grace French grounded out to the pitcher. With
Abbott Badgley stepping up to the plate, the Braves were in a good spot. Badgley sent a single to right field, scoring both Welsh and DeRolf. Another two runs were secured off of a two-run home run from
Kierston McCoy that hit the scoreboard out in left field, bringing the score to 4-6. Bradley would tally another three runs in the top of the fifth. With DeRolf and Badgley on base, McCoy once again stepped up big time. The freshman smacked a single out to left, but a fielding error by the left fielder allowed both DeRolf and Badgley to score while McCoy ended up at third. McCoy would be thrown out at home on a fielder's choice off of a hit from
Hannah Organ, but Organ came around the bases to score thanks to a double from
Austin Comstock, giving Bradley a 7-6 lead. The Ramblers would tack on three runs in the bottom of the sixth, ultimately securing a 10-7 win over the Braves. McCoy was 2-4 with a two-run home run, a single and three RBI. Comstock went 3-4 with two doubles, a single and one RBI.
The Braves will head back on the road to face UNI in a three-game series in Cedar Falls.