April 25, 2025 | Chicago, Ill. | Curtis Granderson Field
Bradley Baseball took the first game in the three-game weekend series, but dropped the last two to the UIC Flames.

Game 1: UIC 1, Bradley 4
The Braves took an early 2-0 lead in the third and held it for the rest of the game. Cole Smith and Bobby Atkinson each hit an RBI single in the top of the third to give Bradley the lead. UIC cut the lead in half in the seventh with an RBI single, but a balk in the eighth gave the run back to Bradley. The Braves added one final run on a Cole Smith RBI single. Gavin Thompson had an outstanding performance, throwing six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out four to earn his first win this season. Reece Clapp closed out the ninth with a shutout performance while striking out two to earn his third save.

Top Performer: Gavin Thompson (6.0 IP, no runs, 4 strikeouts)
Bradley Offense: 4 runs, 8 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Pitching Grit: 1 run allowed, all earned, 8 strikeouts, 4 walks

Game 2: UIC 8, Bradley 5

The Flames won in the back-and-forth Game Two of the series. UIC took an early lead on a solo shot, but the Braves tied it up in the top of the third on a Jackson Smith RBI groundout. UIC retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly. Bradley tied it up in the top of the fourth on a Timmy O'Brien single. The Flames pulled ahead in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly. Bradley tied it up in the fifth on a Cole Smith blast to right field. The Flames took the lead for the final time in the sixth on a three-run homer. O'Brien's two-run bomb in the eighth brought the game to within one, but the Flames added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to win 8-5. O'Brien hit 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Beau Durbin was 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.

Top Performer: Cole Smith (2-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 HR)
Bradley Offense: 5 runs, 8 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Pitching Grit: 8 runs allowed, all earned, 5 strikeouts

Game 3: UIC 5, Bradley 4

The Flames walked it off in the bottom of the 12th to defeat the Braves and take the series win. The Braves took an early 3-0 lead on Bobby Atkinson's RBI triple and another Timmy O'Brien two-run homer. UIC slowly began to chip away at the lead, scoring one in the fifth and another in the sixth. They tied it up in the ninth on an RBI single to send the game to extras. Nick Hosie's RBI single in the top of the 10th gave Bradley the lead, but the Flames tied it up in the bottom half of the inning and walked it off on a sacrifice fly in the 12th. Atkinson hit 2-for-4 with an RBI, a triple, and two walks. Hosie was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a walk. 

Top Performer: Nick Hosie (3-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 walk)
Bradley Offense: 4 runs, 12 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Pitching Grit: 5 runs allowed, all earned, 7 strikeouts

Looking Ahead

The Braves will host the University of Illinois on Tuesday before traveling to Macomb to face the Western Illinois Leathernecks on Wednesday.