NORMAL, Ill. -- Bradley scored the first run of the game, but Illinois State used a pair of solo home runs to rally to top the Braves 3-2 at Marian Kneer Stadium in the final meeting between the I-74 rivals Tuesday night.

Both starting pitchers surrendered just four hits in the game, but preseason Valley favorite Illinois State hit a pair of solo home runs and robbed junior Jackie Roth (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) of a potential game-tying home run in the top of the seventh.

The Braves (8-27 overall, 1-7 MVC) scored a run in the top of the first to jump out to an early lead.  Junior Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) reached on an error to lead off the contest and moved to third on a wild pitch.  Sherman scored the first run of the game, beating a throw home when senior Brittany Fairbairn (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East/Kankakee C.C.) reached on a fielder's choice.

Illinois State (20-11 overall, 7-1 MVC) threatened in the bottom half of the inning after Kara Nelson reached on an error to start the inning and was at third with just one out.  Fairbairn made a catch in center field for the second out of the inning and threw out Nelson at the plate for her 12th outfield assist of the year to keep the Redbirds off the scoreboard.

A solo home run to leadoff the bottom of the second off the bat of ISU's Liz Andrews tied the game at 1-1 and Illinois State pushed another run across in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead.  Nelson led off the third with a single and came around to score on a double to left center by Abby Olson. 

Bradley pulled even at 2-2 with a run in the top of the fourth, but had two runners thrown out at the plate in the inning.  The Braves had runners at second and third with one out when freshman KayCee Miller (Omaha, Neb./Papillion-LaVista) was out at the plate trying to score on a ground ball hit to third. 

Junior Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) drove in senior Denise Jilka (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) on an infield single to tie things at 2-2, before freshman Alex Chandler (Needles, Calif./Needles) was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Illinois State's Lauren Kellar belted a solo home run to right field to open the top of the fifth inning and put the Redbirds in front 3-2. 

With a 2-2 count and two outs in the top of the seventh Roth hit a ball to the fence in center field, but ISU's Liz Andrews made the grab at the wall for the final out of the game to close the win for the Redbirds.

Junior Lindsay Hufeld (Mapleton, Ill./Limeston/Illinois Central) struck out three and gave up just four hits in the complete game loss for BU to drop to 3-12.  Illinois State's Megan Warner earned the victory for Illinois, improving to 8-5.

Bradley hosts Western Illinois Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria.