Bradley softball (17-15, 4-4 MVC) traveled to Indiana to face Missouri Valley Conference foe Valparaiso (9-18, 1-8 MVC), sweeping the series on April 2 and 3 at the Valpo Softball Complex.
The second week in a row in the Hoosier State for the Braves ended with three wins, earning their first MVC road series sweep since 2019.
In the opener, the Braves took the win by a score of 4-2, as senior Grace French limited the Beacons to just three hits to key the win. French was able to keep the Beacons quiet until the seventh inning, when they recovered some lost ground with a pair of runs, but not enough for a late upset.
“Grace was in the circle, both of those pitches that they hit were up,” head coach Amy Hayes said. “It’s not like they hit her best stuff. I really wasn’t worried because I knew Grace would make the adjustment and seal the deal.”
French was also solid offensively, as she went 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of stolen bases. Freshman first baseman Katie Pederson went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
On the second and final day of the series, the Braves earned a convincing 10-6 win and a close 4-3 win against the Beacons. Freshman utility player Abbott Badgley went 5-for-8 in the twinbill with a pair of doubles and runs, a triple and four RBIs.
“I think we’re kind of a nice Oreo sandwich,” Hayes said. “We got a lot of leadership and good play coming out of our seniors and a lot of good play coming out of our freshmen.”
French continued her strong performance from Saturday into Sunday, as she racked up three hits, four runs and two RBIs in the doubleheader, enough to win her first MVC Player of the Week award.
“Grace gave us everything she had,” Hayes said. “She was stealing bases, hitting bombs; she just really propelled us this weekend.”
In Saturday’s first game, Badgley wasted no time at all, hitting a triple and sending French and senior Samantha Smith home in the top of the first. The Beacons would respond with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame off the bat of Lauren Kehlinbrink to pull ahead 3-2.
The Braves would earn a comfortable five-run lead in the third, courtesy of a two-run homer of their own off the bat of French.
Sophomore pitcher Raegan Branon, who came on in the end of the first inning to replace Badgley in the circle, earned a career-best six strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work, securing a 10-6 victory.
The last game was a lot tighter after an early run scored by the Beacons preceded a sacrifice fly off the bat of Badgley in the the top of the fourth, which scored French who doubled.
The Braves scored a trio of runs in the top of the sixth inning, thanks to RBI singles from Badgley and freshman Shelby Katzakian and a sacrifice fly from junior Abigail Tyler.
Valparaiso would not give up, as they capitalized on a solo home run and a double, which put them one run behind Bradley in the fifth inning.
“We played really well as a team the whole weekend,” French said. “We had good momentum and just made the adjustments when we needed to.”
The Braves close out their nine-game MVC road trip against the Drake Bulldogs at Buel Field on April 9 and 10. All three games will be available to watch on ESPN3 and ESPN+.
