Softball Completes Sweep of Bradley with 7-5 Win on Saturday; Sewell Earns 150th Career Win

Saturday, March 14

Carbondale, IL

1 PM

Southern Illinois University

16-9, 5-0

Bradley

6-18, 1-5

Bradley

Southern Ill.

Softball Completes Sweep of Bradley with 7-5 Win on Saturday; Sewell Earns 150th Career Win

03/14/2026 | 5:20:00 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - On Saturday, the Southern Illinois University softball team (16-9 overall, 5-0 MVC) finished off the series sweep against Bradley with a 7-5 victory at Charlotte West Stadium.

The win marked the 150th of head coach Jen Sewell's career.

Southern Illinois scored seven runs on nine hits with two errors on Saturday, while Bradley registered five runs on eight hits and one error. Junior Emily Delgado (5-2) picked up the win and freshman Brooklynn Danielson (2) earned her second save as a Saluki.

"A bit of an ugly win but Valley sweeps are Valley sweeps," Sewell said. "What I respect about our club is they understand that wins are wins, but we have some things to get better at. It's a testament to our standards here. Proud of our offense and we threw some good pitches this weekend. If we can continue to learn while winning, we will be a team to be reckoned with."

Offensively, junior Emily Williams led the way with another strong performance. Williams went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Overall, SIU's designated player had a .750 batting average, four home runs, 10 RBI, and four runs scored in three games against the Braves.

"Emily Williams had another big day," Sewell said. "She worked all week long and it showed up in her offense."

Sophomore Hayden Kurtz hit her first home run at Charlotte West Stadium and the second overall of her career in the win. Redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp reached base in all three at bats, going 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.

Bradley got on the board first with two runs in the opening inning. Sophomore Emma Gipson proceeded to get out of the inning without any further damage after producing a flyout to left field.

Williams drove in SIU's first run of the day with an RBI single, scoring senior Erin Lee. Lee recorded a team-high six runs on the weekend.

Delgado entered the game in the top of the second and worked around a one-out walk to keep the deficit at one.

The score would remain at 2-1 in favor of Bradley until the bottom of the third where Williams launched her fourth home run of the series. This one was a two-run shot scoring junior Sydney Potter to give the Salukis a 3-2 lead. On the year, Williams is now up to seven homers, the second-most on the team behind Potter's 12.

In the top of the fourth, Potter continued her stellar season behind the plate with a caught stealing to end the inning. The Salukis extended their lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the frame after Kurtz was hit by a pitch and then pinch ran for by graduate student Brooklyn Pritchett. Pritchett came around to score on a passed ball.

After Delgado fired a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, Southern Illinois struck for three runs via a Bradley error and then a two-run home run to left field by Kurtz, the second of her career.

The Braves scored three runs in the top of the sixth to make it a 7-5 game with the Salukis still leading. One inning later, Danielson came in and slammed the door shut with a 1-2-3 seventh inning. This gave the freshman her second save at SIU and her first since Feb. 27 vs. Western Carolina.

Up Next
SIU will head out on the road for the first time in conference play next weekend at Illinois State. The Salukis and Redbirds will play a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 20, before concluding the series on Saturday, March 21, at 1 p.m. in Normal, Ill.

"We are going to challenge our team this week in practice as we head for a road series with Illinois State," Sewell said. "We are good, but can we be really good."

Follow the Salukis
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