Bradley softball struggled out of the gate in New Mexico last weekend, taking a 1-4 record back home after finding themselves on the wrong side of some close finishes.
On the final day of the weekend, Bradley took a much-needed and thrilling victory over Colorado State by way of a 9-8 final. Bradley outhit the Rams 12 to 11 and headlining the Braves’ bats was freshman left fielder Lauren DeRolf.
DeRolf went 2-3 at the plate, with a walk and scoring two runs. Throughout the weekend, she had a .438 batting average, a .971 OPS and three RBI’s in five games while batting in the second spot of the lineup, not to mention that the freshman spent all five games hitting second in the lineup.
“I always have a high expectation for myself when it comes to the game,” DeRolf said. “At the same time, I always have areas in which I can improve. I’m constantly analyzing everything I can improve on and that doesn’t change with any success I may have.”
The Braves entered their final game in the seventh inning down 8-4. The rally started when freshman Kierston McCoy bombed one to left for a two-run homer, cutting the lead in half. Welsh tripled with freshman Austin Comstock and Pederson sitting on base, tying the game in the final frame.
The 8-8 tie was broken when sophomore Angela Cirone lined a single into left field as the Braves had clinched their first victory of the premature season. The five-run rally displayed the fight still left in the group after the disappointing start.
“I think everyone played a big part in our win on Sunday,” DeRolf said. “I think just by getting on base helps my team to success, the main factor of that being momentum and excitement. Anything a player can do to get some momentum going can help a team win like we did in the bottom of the seventh on Sunday.”
In the opener, Bradley lost a tight 3-1 final against Colorado State. The Braves only garnered five hits while stranding six on base.
An offensive explosion is how one could categorize the Braves’ second game that day but they suffered a narrow 14-11 defeat to host New Mexico State. Bradley was outhit 15-12, but smashed three home runs thanks to graduate student Grace French in addition to sophomores Katie Pederson and Addie Welsh.
Returning Saturday, Bradley was blown past in its 11-1 loss against Colorado State. Not much went right for the Braves, who got in an early hole and never recovered. The team followed that up with a much closer 7-5 loss against New Mexico State. The Braves outhit the Aggies 8-7 but scored three in the final frame to fall just shy of their first victory.
The hard work must continue as the Braves travel this weekend to Nashville, Tennessee. They’ll take on North Alabama and Tennessee State twice, while facing off with Alabama A&M in the series finale. DeRolf hopes that the Braves will continue their efforts last time out.
“[I’m] watching over film, working on areas that need improvement in practices, and doing some self reflection on areas in which I can improve is how I’m preparing for Nashville,” DeRolf said. “I am fully confident that any game we play, if we execute how we know we can, we will have success there.”
The Roar City Invite kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday. Bradley’s first game takes place this afternoon at 1 p.m.
