Live Blog: Bradley vs. Missouri

Missouri 2, Bradley 1 (Final)

Bradley plays in the 6:30 p.m. game against the winner of the Illinois-DePaul game. The winner of tonight’s 6:30 p.m. game has to beat Missouri twice on Sunday to win the regional.

Seventh inning (Missouri 2, Bradley 1)

Birdsong gets Mizzou in order in the top of the seventh.

Bradley needs one run to extend the game. Due up is Sherman, Creighton and Roth.

Lauren Meister gets a two-out hit as a pinch hitter, but Delaney strikes out Watkins to end the games.

Sixth inning (Missouri 2, Bradley 1)

Mizzou makes a lead off hit by Taylor payoff. Taylor steals second, advances to third on a grounder to second and Poet’s RBI double to the centerfield wall scores her. Birdsong escapes more trouble by getting Allen to ground out to second with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Bradley crowd urging on the softball with chants of BU-BU. Bradley scores one in the bottom of the sixth on a sac fly by Vitale. Bachkora was hit by a pitch. Wegmann hit a rocket off the leftfield wall to put runners on first and second. A passed ball moved them to second and third leading up to Vitale’s RBI sac fly. Clack put a good hit on one, but Minner caught it in right for the third out.

Fifth inning (Missouri 1, Bradley 0)

Birdie escapes trouble in the fifth. Outs alternating with singles gave Mizzou runners on first the second with two outs. Julie Silver, pinch hitting for Vock, popped out to Wegmann at short to end the inning.

Bradley misses a golden opportunity to tie the game, but it took an outstanding defensive play by centerfielder Taylor. With runners on first and second with two outs, Watkins sends a short fly to left center, where Taylor made a diving catch to end the inning.

The Braves are down to their last six outs to tie the game.

Fourth inning (Missouri 1, Bradley 0)

Birdie makes quick work of Mizzou again in the fourth with two more strike outs. Minner disagreed with the K call to end the inning, but made her feelings known to the dugout rather than the umpire.

New pitcher for Mizzou to start the fourth is right hander Stacy Delaney.

Wegmann draws a two-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but the Braves go scoreless in the fourth.

Third inning (Missouri 1, Bradley 0)

Birdie gets an easy inning with three quick outs with a strikeout, pop out to second and a grounder back to the circle. Ditto for Nottelman: Two fly outs and a grounder back to the circle for her.

Second inning (Missouri 1, Bradley 0)

Minner scores from first on a double down the left field line by Ubrun to give Missouri a 1-0 lead. Ubrun was caught in a rundown between second and third. A line out to Wegmann at shortstop and a flyout to center end the inning for Birdsong.

Bradley has trailed only once since the regular season, to Southern Illinois in the MVC tournament.

Hard luck inning for Bradley. Wegmann and Vitale start the inning with singles, Clack’s sac bunt moves them to second and third. Sherman, who had her first hit since April 11 in yesterday’s 1-0 win over Dunlap, tried to bunt the tying run in, but she popped it up and infielder Schweisberger made a diving catch. With Wegmann almost to home plate and needing to tag up at third, Schweisberger was able to easily get her out at third.

First inning (Bradley 0, Missouri 0)

Birdsong gives up a leadoff hit to Taylor, who is later caught stealing. The Bradley pitcher, who has 11 shutouts this season and moved into fourth on the MVC career strikeout list yesterday, strikes out Schneider and gets Poet, who is swinging a hot bat as of late, to hit a dribbler back to the circle.

Nottelman gets a 1-2-3 inning with a nice running catch by Poet near the foul line for the first out. A strike out and a pop out end the inning.

Starting lineups

Missouri (46-9) is the visiting team this afternoon and will wear all black w

Because Bradley is the home team, the Braves are in Missouri’s dugout while the Tigers are in the visiting dugout.

ith gold trim. Bradley (26-26) is wearing its home white pants and shirt with red trim and red socks.

Bradley
2b Lindsay Watkins
lf Janay Mitchell
1b Alycia Bachkora
ss Miriam Wegmann
c Jacqueline Vitale
cf Amanda Clack
dh Julie Sherman
rf Anne Creighton
3b Jackie Roth

p Ashley Birdsong

Missouri
cf Rhea Taylor
3b Gina Schneider
lf Kathryn Port
rf Micaela Minner
dh Lindsey Ubrun
1b Marla Schweisberger
2b Andee Allen
c Katie Milles
ss Abby Vock

p Kristin Nottelman

Another good Bradley crowd of about 50 in attendance today, but they are clearly out numbered by Mizzouri fans in yellow and black. In all, looks like a crowd of about 700 or 800.

Welcome back

The Bradley Braves softball team returns to University Field on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia for a game against Missouri in the Columbia, Mo. Regional of the NCAA tournament.

Bradley defeated DePaul 1-0 Friday in the opener to advance to the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament. Missouri and Illinois were delayed by rain overnight. Missouri defeated Illinois 5-1 this morning to advance to play Bradley.

Bradley-Mizzou first pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.