Panthers split doubleheader with Bradley

Friday, March 28

Cedar Falls, Iowa

2 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

18-9, 0

Bradley

15-17, 0

Bradley

Northern Iowa

Photo by: © Andy Saigh

Panthers split doubleheader with Bradley

3/28/2025 7:44:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Final Stats (Game 1)Final Stats (Game 2)Photo Gallery

UNI softball opened play at Robinson-Dresser with a split doubleheader against Bradley.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI softball opened play at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex on Friday, March 28 with a doubleheader against the Bradley Braves. Game one went the way of the Braves with a final score of 9-6 but the Panthers flipped the script in game two with a 9-5 victory.

GAME ONE | Bradley 9, UNI 6

The Panther defense opened hot with a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first. The stalemate was broken by the Braves in the top of the fourth inning with a three-run home run. Bradley tacked on four more in the top of the fifth to take a 7-0 lead.

UNI got on the board off the bat of Kylee Sanders with a two-RBI double which scored Brynlee Slockett and Skylar Benesh. With Sanders on second base, Addison McElrath hit her ninth home run of the season to cut into the deficit. The Panthers ended the fifth inning trailing the Braves 4-7.

Bradley added a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to take a 9-4 lead. UNI tacked on a pair with a sacrifice fly from Skylar Benesh in the bottom of the sixth inning and an RBI-single from Katelyn Callahan in the bottom of the seventh to cut into the Bradley lead. The Panthers could not complete the comeback and were defeated in game one of the series by a 9-6 final.

Three Panthers recorded multi-hit performances including a pair from Kylee Sanders, Kate Lappe, and Katelyn Callahan. Sanders and Addison McElrath each tallied two RBIs. Anna Wischnowski and Kara Maiers combined for four strikeouts in game one with Wischnowski posting three in her 4.2 innings in the circle. Wischnowski picked up her fifth loss of the season and moved to 9-5 in 2025.

GAME TWO | UNI 9, Bradley 5

Game two opened the same way as game one with a 1-2-3 inning from the Braves. The Panther offense got moving early with three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 3-0 lead. A two-RBI single from Katelyn Callahan scored Kylee Sanders and Skylar Benesh followed by a single from Sykora Smith to score Drew Hinrichs.

Bradley answered with a run in the top of the second before the Panthers extended their lead with a pair of runs in the home-half of the inning to take a 5-1 lead after two innings of play. Four unanswered runs from Bradley tied the game at five through the top of the sixth inning.

The bottom of the sixth inning saw the Panther offense heat up with four runs to take a late 9-5 lead. Katy Olive and Skylar Benesh crossed on a wild pitch before an RBI-single from Addison McElrath scored Kylee Sanders and a bases-loaded walk of Ava Smithson crossed Adalyn Reynolds to give UNI a four-run advantage late in the contest. The Braves looked to even the count and loaded the bases with the game-tying run on the plate with two outs, but the Panther defense got out of the jam and came away with a 9-5 victory.

Kylee Sanders led UNI with three hits and three runs in four at-bats against Bradley. Addison McElrath and Katelyn Callahan each finished with two RBIs. In the circle, Morgan Vertz picked up her sixth win of the season with two innings pitched and no runs.

UP NEXT

The Panthers round out their home-opening weekend with a matchup on Saturday, March 29 against Bradley. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on ESPN+.

UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.