PEORIA, Ill. -- Evansville salvaged the final game of its weekend Missouri Valley Conference series by snapping Bradley's 10-game winning streak, taking an 11-8 decision in a back-and-forth affair Sunday afternoon at O'Brien Field.  Bradley (29-17, 12-9) knocked out 16 hits, its best total in a conference game this year, but the Purple Aces (32-22, 13-11) scored eight times in the final three innings to ruin Senior Day for the Braves.

Bradley senior second baseman Ryan Curry came into the game as the league's only .400 hitter and his 5-for-5 performance Sunday upped his batting average to .436 heading into the final week of the regular season.  Curry's five base hits were the most by a Brave in a game this season, and by finishing the weekend 9-for-12 against the Purple Aces, he has closed to within six of Nelson Correa's school-record 251 career base hits.

While Bradley's 16 hits were the most against a league rival this year, the team's season-high four errors proved too much to overcome against The Valley's defending champion.

Limited to just four runs in the first two games of the series, Evansville drew first blood Sunday on Kirk Bacsu's first home run of the season, a 3-run blast off Bradley starter Chris Wright in the third inning. 

As has become custom during Bradley's recent hot spell, however, the Braves battled back to take a 5-3 lead.  Curry scored Bradley's first run in the fourth when first baseman Mike McMillan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  Shortstop Dan Brewer made it 3-2 with a solo home run to start Bradle's 4-run fifth inning.  After third baseman Paul Rice popped out, Curry started a 2-out rally by roping his league-best 20th double of the season into the left field corner.  Left fielder Justin Carr followed with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game, 3-3, and the Braves pulled ahead on back-to-back run-scoring hits by Ryan Eigsti and Colby Luttrell.

Unable to rally in the weekend's first two games, Evansville fought back against the Bradley bullpen Sunday, beginning with a 3-run seventh inning.  Shortstop Robbie Minor delivered the big blow in the seventh with a bases-loaded, 2-run double into the left centerfield gap to give the Aces a 6-5 lead.

Bradley pulled even in the bottom of the seventh when Curry singled with one out and came home on Ryan Eigsti's triple to right centerfield.

While Bradley's third pitcher, Eitan Barbalat (1-2) was able to prevent the Aces from adding to its big seventh inning by getting the final out, he ran into trouble in the eighth when Tristan Facer and Jim Viscomi singled on either side of a Ryan Barrett pop out.  Freshman Brad Altbach, who had closed six of Bradley's previous seven Valley games, got Kern Watts to pop out for the second out and appeared to escape the jam when he got Kasey Wahl to hit a ground ball to short.  Brewer misplayed the ball in the hole, however, allowing pinch-runner Ty Legan to score from second and put Evansville ahead for good, 7-6.  Brewer committed his second straight error by booting Kirk Bacsu's routine grounder two pitches later and Pat Tumilty completed the 3-run inning with a double down the left field line for a 9-6 lead.

Curry completed his 5-hit day by delivering a 2-out, 2-run single in the home half of the eighth to pull the Braves within 9-8, but Evansville reliever Matt Brinkmann was able to get Carr to ground out to first to end the rally.  The Aces benefitted from three walks and a McMillan error in the ninth to plate a pair of insurance runs.  Brinkmann (4-2) then worked around McMillan's 2-out single in the home half of the ninth to nail down the win.

Bradley will close out the regular season by visiting Northern Iowa for a 3-game set, beginning Thursday at Waterloo's Riverfront Stadium.  The Braves have secured a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and can be seeded anywhere from third through fifth, based on their results at UNI and the outcome of the Southern Illinois-Indiana State series.