TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State designated hitter Casey McCurdy hit a tie-breaking, 3-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, lifting the host Sycamores (23-22, 8-10 MVC) to their fifth straight win, a 9-5 Missouri Valley Conference victory against Bradley (16-29, 1-18 MVC) Thursday night at Bob Warn Field.

After Indiana State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, Bradley tied the game in three consecutive innings, only to give the lead right back in the home half of the same inning.  The Braves made it 1-1 in the fifth when Austin Jarvis scored on a bases-loaded passed ball.  Bradley again pulled even, 2-2, on Isaac Smith's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth, then answered Indiana State's 3-run sixth with three runs of their own in the seventh on a Josh Camalick sacrifice fly, an Elliot Ashbeck RBI fielder's choice and a Jarvis RBI single.

Despite the scoring, the Braves loaded the bases with less than two outs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and still stranded six base runners in those three innings.

The outcome did not halt Bradley senior LF Mike Tauchman's hit parade.  The nation's leading hitter with a .437 average entering the game, Tauchman was 2-for-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch in his five plate appearances.  Tauchman, who now is hitting an even .500 (35-70) in 19 Valley games, also swiped his 28th base in his 29th attempt of the season and scored his 50th run of the year.  The lefty hitter was 2-for-2 against Indiana State left-handed pitching ace Sean Manaea, extending his hit streak against southpaws to 9-for-9 before he lined out against lefty reliever Tyler Pazik in the eighth.  Still, Tauchman is batting .636 (28-44) on the season against left-handed pitching.

Cameron Roegner (0-1) suffered his first career loss by surrendering  McCurdy's 3-run blast.  A.J. McAlderry (1-2), Indiana State's third pitcher of the night, earned his first win of the season despite allowing an unearned run in the seventh.

The teams will continue their regular-season-ending, 3-game series with another 5:30 p.m. (CST) game Friday, then will wrap up the regular season with a noon contest Saturday at Bob Warn Field.