Blaine Kinsey
GoSycamores.com
With the weather finally cooperating on Saturday in Peoria, Ill. the Indiana State softball team dropped both games of a double header to the Braves of Bradley University by final scores of 5-2 and 10-3.
Game One
Despite leading early, the Sycamores dropped the first game of the double header 5-2.
Both teams offense struggled early as the Braves were first team to get a hit in the bottom of the second inning. The Braves then scored first in the bottom of the third inning off a solo home run to left field to take a 1-0 lead over the Sycamores.
The Sycamores answered back in the top of the fourth inning when junior second baseman Stephanie Robinson hit an infield single in the gap between first and second before freshman center fielder Alex Baumgart hit an infield single back toward the pitcher. Junior first baseman Bailey Wittenauer then advanced both runners off a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later sophomore right fielder Kim Pierce crushed a two-run double to the center field wall to score Robinson and Baumgart to make it 2-1 Sycamores.
The Braves responded in the bottom of the fourth inning as they scored four runs to retake the lead at 5-2.
The Sycamores could not get anything going as they were only able to get three hits in the contest and fell by a final score of 5-2 in game one.
Game Two
In game two, the Braves offense came to life early as the Sycamores could never get ahead en route to a 10-3 loss.
The Braves scored one run in the bottom of the first inning before hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to take a 4-0 lead over the Sycamores.
The Sycamores responded in the top of the third inning as Pierce led off the inning with her fourth home run of the season to cut the Braves lead to 4-1. Later in the inning Wittenauer hit an RBI double to right center to score Baumgart before Jonson singled to score Wittenauer and to cut the Braves lead to 4-3.
However, that was as close as the Sycamores would get as the Braves scored one in the bottom of the third and five in the bottom of the sixth to win game two by a final score of 10-3.
Pierce finished the day 3-7 at the plate with a home run, three RBI's and a run scored for the Sycamores.
The Sycamores will return to action Tuesday when they return home to finish the three-game series with the Redbirds of Illinois State at Price Field.
