Peoria Standard

The Bradley baseball team lost a pair of games at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday – falling 11-8 and 12-5. The Braves are now 3-6 on the season, while the Redhawks improve to 9-1.

Junior Connor O'Brien led the Braves on the day – going 3-for-7 at the plate with one home run, two doubles and four RBI.

Game One Recap

The Redhawks took advantage of a six-run first inning and then held on late to earn an 11-8 victory in the opener between the two schools.

All 11 runs for the home team were scored in the first three frames for a lead it would not give back. After surrendering six in the first, Bradley answered with two runs of its own with a Jackson Chatterton home run. The Redhawks then plated three in the bottom half of the inning for a 9-2 lead before the Braves responded with three more in the third after a Carson Husmann homer. However, SEMO grabbed two more for in its half of the inning for an 11-5 lead.

The Braves score two runs in the fifth and then one more in the sixth for an 11-8 ballgame but their attempt to pull closer was dashed when a runner was thrown out at home plate as the Redhawks held on for the 11-8 victory.

All nine starters recorded a hit for Bradley, led by two from freshman Jack Lincoln. Sophomore Taylor Catton pitched 3.1 innings of perfect relief – retiring all 10 hitters he faced.

Game Two Recap

Southeast Missouri State was again able to ride a strong offensive start to win the second contest of the day, 12-5.

The Redhawks scored seven runs in the first two innings, taking advantage of an error in each frame to score four unearned runs and claim a 7-0 lead.

The Braves attempted to rally and began in the third inning when O'Brien hit a three-run homer for a 7-3 ballgame. Bradley then added two runs in the fifth when a Husmann double plated one before Lincoln drove one in with a groundout for a 7-5 contest. Bradley then loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning but a lineout to first base ended the threat. The Redhawks were able to add an insurance run in both the sixth and seventh innings before scoring three more in the eighth for the 12-5 final score.

O'Brien led BU by going 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBI and two runs score, while Troy Hickey pitched 4.2 innings of relief, allowing three runs on just three hits and striking out seven.

The Braves return to action next weekend, beginning their Spring Break trip with a series at South Florida. The two schools first meet on Friday with a 5:30 p.m. CT first pitch.