The Bradley softball team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to face Drake for three games on April 9-10 at Buel Field. Ultimately, six total errors and inefficient pitching led to Bradley suffering a sweep at the hands of the conference rival Bulldogs.
To kick off the series, senior Samantha Smith’s RBI single gave Bradley a 1-0 lead in their opening at-bats, but Drake exploded for four runs in the bottom half of the first frame. A Bulldogs leadoff home run ignited a flurry of baserunners and made things difficult for Braves’ starting pitcher Grace French, who recorded only two outs before head coach Amy Hayes made a pitching change.
“We didn’t pitch very well,” Hayes said. “We’ve been fairly consistent in the circle, and we just weren’t. We were missing and not able to make adjustments. Drake was being really patient, getting ahead in the count and taking advantage.”
In a game that was shortened to five innings, the Bulldogs put the contest further out of reach with five runs scored in the final inning, which put the final touches on Drake’s 10-2 win.
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Drake’s bats tallied one run in each of the first three innings before two more Bulldogs crossed the plate in the fourth frame. Bradley was left to play catch-up and managed only two runs for the second consecutive contest.
After notching two hits in the first game, senior Lucy Mead went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the 6-2 loss.
“Lucy has had a great few weeks; she’s found her stride and we’ve asked a lot of her since she’s a senior,” Hayes said. “She’s been moving back and forth between second base and left field, but I think she’s becoming more comfortable in both of those positions and at the plate.”
In the series finale, Bradley’s offense improved but once again fell victim to the Bulldogs’ bats. Drake got out of the gates quickly, scoring four times in the first inning and twice in the second. Braves sophomore pitcher Camryn Schaller was shelled for six runs in 1.2 innings, issuing six hits and four walks in the abbreviated outing.
There were silver linings from Sunday’s 9-6 loss though, as French rebounded from Saturday’s clunker and pitched 1.1 perfect innings in relief of sophomore Raegan Branon, who gave up three earned runs after Schaller’s departure.
“Grace got knocked out early in that first game and then came back on Sunday and threw really well; [I] probably should’ve brought her in earlier,” Hayes said. “She is usually our most consistent kid in the circle, and she’s not going to be down for long. She’s a senior; she knows how to keep her mind right and knows what adjustments she needs to make. It was nice to see her have that good comeback.”
In the series finale, sophomore catcher Jordy van der Werf belted a two-run home run, her third long ball of the season, in her return to the lineup after missing a few weeks.
Looking ahead, the Braves face a quick turnaround, as the team is set to square off against Southern Illinois at home for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday. Following the series against the Salukis, Bradley will play eight of their final 12 games at home before the MVC Championship in May.
“During this back half of our conference season, we have to be on our game,” Hayes said. “We’re ready to move forward and make the adjustments we didn’t make the week before.”
