Bradley University (25-24-1) ace left-hander Joe Bircher cruised into the eighth inning riding a 4-hitter, but Dallas Baptist (38-16) rallied for three runs in the eighth to earn a 5-4 victory in the opener of a 3-game series Thursday night at O’Brien Field. The Braves, which has won a school-record 11 1-run decisions this season, dropped its season-long seventh consecutive game, including the last four by one run each. Though he struck out a season-low two hitters, Bircher (7-3) did move into sole possession of third place on the school’s single-season strikeout list by pushing his season total to 104. The 104 strikeouts are the most by a Bradley pitcher since Wyman Carey, who was in attendance Thursday night for a pregame ceremony, fanned the school-record 120 hitters in 1956.
-Bob
