PEORIA, IL – The Bradley Braves Softball team lost both games in the doubleheader to Belmont.
Game 1
Bradley lost the first game of the home opener 15-0. Senior
Brynna Seitz hit a single between the second and first base gap. Senior
Kierston McCoy, senior
Ashley Breeding, sophomore
Olivia Turner and sophomore
Morgan Schlosser all recorded a walk. The Braves had a bases-loaded chance in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore
Emily Organ came to pinch hit in the fifth inning, where she nearly got on with a single, yet after replay review, the umpires reversed the call, making Organ out. Sophomore
Abby Rusher threw four frames for the Braves, the first three and the fifth inning. She went perfect in the first, only allowing two walks through all four innings.
Game 2
The Braves lost a nailbiter, 4-3, in the second game against one of the best pitchers in the Nation. After the Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the first, McCoy knocked her eighth home run of the season to start the fourth inning. The Bruins scored another pair of runs in the fifth inning. The outfield trio of Schlosser, junior
Ella Shafer and McCoy each made at least one highlight-level play in the final three frames. Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, senior
Austin Comstock singled on an 0-2 count. Breeding doubled to right center field, bringing Comstock home, the second run of the game for the Braves. After a quick attack from the first two batters, Turner grounded out, yet advanced Breeding to third, as Organ grounded out to short while bringing Breeding home. With two outs in a 4-3 game, the rally ended the next batter. Organ and Shafer both added to their days with a walk. The Braves can walk out of the game with their heads held high, as this was just the second game this season that top pitcher Maya Johnson allowed three runs in a game. Senior Kinsley Roberston threw her first complete game in her Bradley tenure. She only allowed the Bruins to have three walks.
Up Next
Game three of the series against Belmont will be played at OSF Healthcare Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria, IL. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT.
