University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
19-15, 7-5
Bradley
21-20, 10-6
UNI softball: Comeback at Bradley falls short in 3-2 loss
4/13/2024 5:07:00 PM | Softball
Panthers score twice in the sixth inning but fall to Braves for second straight game. Series finale scheduled for noon on Sunday.
PEORIA, Ill. --- UNI softball's late comeback against the Bradley Braves came up just short on Saturday afternoon at OSF Healthcare Field as the Panthers dropped a 3-2 contest in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.
Battling another windy day in central Illinois, Northern Iowa scored two runs in the sixth inning and put two runners on base in the seventh, but did not score. Despite forcing Bradley starting pitcher Camryn Schaller into multiple deep counts early in the game, UNI could not capitalize on scoring opportunities, leaving ten runners on base during the game despite loading the bags three times.
Madison Parks and Alexis Pupillo led off the game for UNI with back-to-back walks off Schaller, but failed to plate any runs in the opening inning. After posting a zero in the bottom of the first defensively. Kylee Sanders would reach on a single to left-field, but was called out in the second frame after being thrown out trying to take second base. The Panthers would follow up with consecutive strikeouts by Kate Lappe and Addison McElrath.
After another scoreless inning for Northern Iowa in the third, Bradley struck first on offense, capitalizing on a series of wild pitches and fielding errors by the Panthers. Addie Welsh reached base for the Braves on a first-pitch, infield single, reaching second and third on consecutive wild pitches by Samantha Heyer. After Lauren DeRolf reached base on a four-pitch walk and stole second, Bradley cracked the scoreboard as Welsh scored on a third wild pitch, while Sydney Kennedy followed up with an RBI single.
In the fourth inning, UNI found some momentum as McElrath and Taylor Hogan led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Kylee Sanders would reach on a fielder's choice as McElrath was thrown out at third base from left-field. While Ava Smithson was able to follow up to load the bases with a walk, Paige Petersen and Daryn Lamprecht would both be retired to end the inning with no runs. Defensively, the Panthers would respond with a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Northern Iowa would be unable to score on a leadoff walk by Parks in the fifth inning, while Bradley added to its lead as DeRolf scored on an RBI single by Macey Moore after reaching on a leadoff walk.
UNI's offense kicked into gear in the sixth inning as Sanders began the frame with a leadoff double off the right-field wall, followed by a Smithson single to left and later a walk by Ellie Owen. Kennedy, who moved from right-field to the pitching circle for the Braves, would allow the first Panther run as Sanders scored on a wild pitch. Following a walk by Lamprecht and a strikeout by Parks, Pupillo brought home UNI's second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to center to score the pinch runner Greta Hartz, cutting the Braves' lead to 3-2.
The Panthers would threaten again in the seventh with McElrath doubling off the left-field wall and Hogan reaching on a fielder's choice. After Sanders advanced UNI's two baserunners on a sacrifice bunt and Adalyn Reynolds entered the game for McElrath as a pinch runner, Hartz laid down a bunt that forced a run-down between third base and home with Reynolds resulting in the second out of the inning. The Panthers would be unable to push the tying run across home plate and would fall to the Braves for the second straight game.
Northern Iowa falls to 19-15 on the year and 7-4 in league play, while Bradley improves to 21-20 and 10-6 in the MVC.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- With the loss, UNI now holds a 65-40 record all-time against the Braves, falling to Bradley in consecutive games for the first time since 2015.
- UNI's loss marks the first MVC series loss since dropping two of three games to Missouri State in 2021.
- Charged with the loss, Samantha Heyer falls to 10-6 on the season, recording eight strikeouts with three earned runs allowed on six hits and three walks.
- Madison Parks' two walks on Saturday give her 35 on the season, and move her into a tie for fourth with Emmy Wells on the program's single-season all-time list. Parks holds three spots on the single season walks list, having drawn 37 walks last season and 35 in 2022.
- Alexis Pupillo's RBI sacrifice flyout in the sixth inning was her 35th run batted in this season, most among all players in the MVC.
UP NEXT
UNI concludes its three-game series against the Braves on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT. Live coverage can be found on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: C. Schaller (2-6)
L: Heyer, Samantha (10-6)
S: S. Kennedy (1)
Batting:
2B: McElrath, Addison 1 ; Sanders, Kylee 1
RBI: Pupillo, Alexis 1
SH: Sanders, Kylee 1
SF: Pupillo, Alexis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sanders, Kylee 1 ; Hartz, Gretta 1
SB: Parks, Madison 1 ; Hartz, Gretta 1
Batting:
RBI: S. Kennedy 1 ; M. Moore 1
Base Running:
RUNS: L. DeRolf 2 ; A. Welsh 1
SB: L. DeRolf 1
HBP: T. Meyer 1
