Bradley softball started the weekend by winning the first of five games down in Orlando, Florida, but lost the following four to close the weekend.
In a 10-2 win over Gardner-Webb to open the weekend, the Braves muscled in runs with the help of an efficient offensive flow. Freshman Lauren DeRolf went 3-for-5, scoring three runs and driving another in. Graduate Grace French hit 2-for-3 with two RBIs and sophomore Bailey Sample added a pair of RBIs and three runs scored.
Junior Jordy van der Werf had a standout stretch, going 3-4 with two RBIs while batting .313 throughout the weekend.
“I helped our team kind of come out to a good hot start,” van der Werf said. “Trying to get everybody together on one page but also play loose, do what I can, have fun and get that win.”
In addition to the game, while Bradley was trying to close its win, two parrots abruptly swooped in and stole the spotlight. The clip, which saw the colorful birds navigate the diamond, went viral and the team was quick to join the conversation.
Despite the distraction, van der Werf believes that the team won that first game because they played together. She thinks that if they bring that level of team chemistry to any game, they’ll be hard to bet against.
“I think when we’re one unit, energy is a big part of us as a team,” van der Werf said. “I think if we keep doing that, sticking together, we can find a way to get through and get some more wins.”
In the second game on Friday, Bradley lost a narrow 8-7 ball game to Purdue. The Boilermakers scored two runs in the final frame to walk the Braves off, spoiling a second win.
After trailing 5-1 entering the fourth, Bradley worked a pair of base hits to score three and when van der Werf was due up in the fifth, her two-run homer to left field put the Braves up 6-5.
With French’s solo shot to center field, Bradley held a 7-6 lead. Heading to the bottom of the seventh, the Braves sent out junior pitcher Camryn Schaller to hold their one-run lead. After walking the first two batters and allowing the game-tying run to score, Schaller was pulled for freshman Hannah Organ, who loaded the bases and allowed Purdue to walk-off game two on a single to center.
Saturday’s double header wasn’t kind to the Braves, who were outscored 14-1 in an 8-0 loss to Louisville and a 6-1 loss in a second matchup with Purdue.
Sophomore Katie Pederson went 2-3 in the second game against Purdue on Saturday. She brought in the game’s only run and recorded a double.
“Hitting-wise, I met my expectations,” Pederson said. “Defensively, I was a little disappointed, but I’ll continue to work through some things. [I’ll] continue to work through what I need to improve on and best help the team move forward.”
Pederson saw lots of positive signs in that first game andhe believes the mental task is what can take herself and this group to the next level.
“I honestly saw everybody being the best versions of themselves,” Pederson said. “Bringing to the table what they can contribute and just working hard at that specific job. We can continue to grow our mindsets and try to have fun, that’s why we play the game, cause we love it.”
To close out the weekend, Bradley fell in a 7-5 letdown against Columbia. Both Pederson and van der Werf went 1-4 in the game.
The Braves head to Wichita, Kansas, to play two on Saturday and another two on Sunday in the Black & Yellow Challenge, where they’ll play Wichita State and Western Illinois twice. The first game against WIU begins Saturday at 12 p.m.
