CARBONDALE, Ill. – After falling behind 4-1, Bradley plated a pair of runs and had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the seventh before Southern Illinois escaped the series opener with a 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon.

The Braves (22-24, 7-12 MVC) and Salukis (22-25 overall, 10-10 MVC) were scheduled to play two games Saturday, but the second game of the doubleheader was postponed due to inclement weather and the teams will now play a noon doubleheader Sunday in Carbondale, Ill.

Southern Illinois scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first, with Taylor Orsburn knocking in Morgan Barchan with a two-out double to put SIU ahead 1-0.

The Salukis added a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second after Meredith Wilson reached on an error to open the inning.  Kara Kimball later scored on a wild pitch and Barchan made it a 3-0 Southern Illinois lead with a two-out RBI single.

Bradley got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the third, but the Braves managed just one hit in the first four innings before finally getting to SIU starter Brittney Lang in the top of the fifth.  With runners at first and second, junior Alex Chandler (Needles, Calif./Needles) singled and sophomore Shannon King (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) scored on an error on the play to trim the Salukis' lead to 3-1.

SIU answered with a run in the bottom half of the fifth, however, plating a run after a walk, single and back-to-back hit batters to open the frame.

Trailing 4-1 heading into the top of the seventh, the Braves rallied for a pair of runs and had the tying run at third with only one out.  Freshman Kendall Duffy (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) led off the frame with a double and scored on a Lexi Cremeens (Dix, Ill./Mount Vernon) pinch-hit double.  Junior Brianne Joseph (Post Falls, Idaho/Post Falls) cut the SIU lead to 4-3 with a RBI single to score Marina Groenewegen (Surrey, British Columbia/Elgin Park Secondary/Southern Idaho) and sophomore Alyson Clemente (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) walked to load the bases with only one out. 

With the tying run at third base and go-ahead run at second, SIU relief pitcher Alyssa Wunderlich struck out the next batter she faced and the Salukis closed out the game with a groundout as Southern Illinois edged Bradley 4-3 in the opener.

“We gave ourselves a shot,” said Bradley head coach Amy Hayes.  “It's the situation you want; loading the bases with one out and having your number four and five hitters up, but it just didn't go our way.  Our team continues to fight and is battling for a spot in the conference tournament.  (Kendall) Duffy and Lexi (Cremeens) did a great job to start the rally in the seventh; at that point it's all about just passing the bat and everyone doing their job.”  

Junior Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Sedro-Woolley) gave up just two earned runs in the complete game effort.  She struck out three and walked two, while scattering seven hits in six innings as she fell to 14-12 on the year with the setback.

Bradley and Southern Illinois close out the three-game series with a noon doubleheader Sunday in Carbondale, Ill.