UNI softball avoids sweep with come-from-behind victory against Bradley

Sunday, April 14

Peoria, Ill.

12 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

20-15, 8-5

Bradley

21-21, 10-7

UNI

Bradley

UNI softball vs. Missouri State | Apr. 5-6, 2024 (Cedar Falls, Iowa)

Photo by: Ellie Marmie

UNI softball avoids sweep with come-from-behind victory against Bradley

4/14/2024 3:40:00 PM | Softball

Box Score FINAL RESULTS

Ava Smithson hits game-winning home run in 8th inning as Panthers win 5-4

PEORIA, Illinois --- UNI softball avoided a series sweep against Bradley on Sunday afternoon with a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Braves. The Panthers trailed 4-1 entering the top of the fifth inning, but Addison McElrath recorded a two-out RBI in the top of the seventh to tie the contest and ultimately send the game to extra innings.

Then, in the top of the eighth inning, Ava Smithson hit a solo home run to give the Panthers their first lead of the game. Anna Wischnowski closed out the contest in the bottom of the frame to help UNI secure its first victory of the weekend.

Bradley found early success against Samantha Heyer, loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first inning. Heyer settled in from there and retired the next three Bradley hitters, but a sacrifice fly from Tori Meyer gave the Braves an early lead.

The Panthers drew level in the top of the third inning, as Daryn Lamprecht led off the frame with a solo home run. The blast marked the fourth of the season for Lamprecht and the 24th of her Panther career.

Bradley then took a decisive lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The first two Braves to bat hit singles, and Bradley took a 2-1 lead after a sacrifice bunt scored Ashley Breeding from third base. The hosts tacked on two more runs in the frame, punctuated with a run scored by Addie Welsh on a wild pitch by Heyer. With the Braves ahead 4-1, Heyer exited the contest and was replaced by Wischnowski.

Wischnowski closed out the frame, then the Panthers began their rally. In the top of the fifth, Savanna Jemilo led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Makenna Kuper. Madison Parks then picked up a one-out single that moved Kuper up a base, but Bradley's Sydney Kennedy retired Alexis Pupillo for the second out of the inning. However, Kate Lappe lofted a single to right field that scored Kuper and cut Bradley's lead to 4-2.

The Panthers picked up their second two-out RBI of the contest in the top of the sixth inning. Kennedy appeared to be cruising towards a quick inning, but Ava Smithson hit a two-out triple down the left field line to apply some pressure. Jemilo then muscled a single to left field that carved the Panthers' deficit to one run.

UNI continued its two-out RBI trend in the top of the seventh inning. After Wischnowski worked an efficient frame in the bottom of the sixth inning, Kennedy retired the first two Panther batters in the top of the seventh. Down to their final out, Kate Lappe roped a triple to right field that extended the contest.

Lappe's triple brought McElrath to the plate, and McElrath tied the contest with a single that floated just past the outstretched glove of Bradley's second baseman. The Panthers did not add any additional runs, and a one-two-three inning worked by Wischnowski sent the game to extra innings.

In the top of the eighth inning, Smithson hammered a solo home run to center field to put the Panthers ahead 5-4. Not only did Smithson's home run put the Panthers ahead for the first time in Sunday's contest, it also marked the first lead that the Panthers took for the entirety of the series against the Braves.

Smithson's home run chased Kennedy from the contest, but UNI did not add any additional runs as the game entered the bottom of the eighth inning.

Bradley led off the frame with a single, but Wischnowski successfully worked around the leadoff base runner as the Panthers secured the one-run victory. The win marked UNI's 20th victory of the 2024 season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Sunday marked UNI's second extra innings contest of the 2024 season. The Panthers are now 2-0 in such games, as UNI's first extra innings victory came on March 15 against Belmont.
Lappe hit her first career triple at the collegiate level in the top of the seventh inning.
Lappe has 30 hits and 21 RBIs so far in 2024, both of which are the second-highest total on the Panthers.
Smithson also hit her first triple as a Panther on Sunday against the Braves.
Wischnowski improved her record to 9-6 in 2024 after pitching a stellar 4.2 innings of relief against the Braves. Wischnowski allowed just two hits and no earned runs, and her efforts were crucial to the Panthers' comeback on Sunday.
Parks snapped a three-game hitless streak with a three-hit performance on Sunday.
Lamprecht's third-inning home run marked her fourth of the 2024 season and the 24th of her Panther career.
The Panthers did lose this weekend's series against the Braves, which marked the first Missouri Valley Conference series loss for the Panthers since 2021.

UP NEXT

The Panthers return home for a busy week at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex next week. UNI hosts Drake on Tuesday at 5 p.m., then welcomes UIC for a three-game series next weekend. All four of the Panthers' contests can be streamed on ESPN+.