PEORIA, Ill. ? Freshman Janay Mitchell homered for the second day in a row, hitting a pinch-hit solo blast in the bottom of the seventh, but Bradley couldn't muster enough offense off Indiana State starter Darcy Wood, as the Braves fell 3-1 in the final home game of the season Sunday afternoon at Laura Bradley Park. Bradley, which was attempting to collect its second three-game Missouri Valley Conference series sweep of the season, had just five hits off Wood in the loss.

Bradley (24-19 overall, 7-13 MVC) threatened to score first in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Miriam Wegmann put down a lead off bunt and advanced all the way to third base on a throwing error on Wood on the play. Junior Trish Kowalewski followed with one of her two singles and stole second, putting runners at second and third with no outs. A preseason all-conference selection, Wood settled down to get out of the jam striking out two and inducing a groundout.

The Sycamores (20-25 overall, 5-15) pushed two runs across in the top of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. Consecutive singles by Christine Meyers and Jackie Chomicki to lead off the inning was followed by a sacrifice bunt. Meredith Simpson knocked a single through the left side of the infield that plated both runners to give Indiana State a 2-0 lead.

The Braves got singles in the third and fourth inning but left a pair of runners on in third inning and were retired in order in the fifth and sixth.

Indiana State added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Simpson had a one-out single and moved to second on a ground out. Jessica McGivney hit a bloop single that barely cleared the infield dirt down the right field line, allowing Simpson to score from second base and push the Sycamores lead to 3-0.

Mitchell notched Bradley's lone extra-base hit of the game with a pinch-hit solo homer to center field to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning to cut the Indiana State lead to 3-1. Junior Stephanie Ramsey ripped a two-out single up the middle, but Wood struck out the final batter she faced to pick up the win and keep the Braves from locking up a spot in the upcoming State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Wood (11-20) struck out with and walked two, while giving up five hits and one earned run in the complete game. Sophomore Ashley Birdsong suffered the loss for Bradley, falling to 18-12 on the season. Birdsong fanned eight batters, while walking one as she surrendered 11 hits and three earned runs.

The Braves remain in seventh place in the Valley standings with a 7-13 record and hold a two-game lead on eighth-place Indiana State. Bradley's magic number to luck up a spot in the conference tournament remains at one following Drake's extra-inning victory at Missouri State Sunday. A Braves win at Creighton or Northern Iowa loss at Evansville next week would put Bradley in the eight-team field for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament (May 10-12 at Normal, Ill.)

Bradley returns to action Thursday when the Braves close out non-conference play with a single game at Illinois at 5 p.m. The Braves conclude the regular season with a three-game series at Creighton next weekend.