PEORIA, Ill. – Indiana State was one strike away from victory in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Bradley battled back and was able to stymie the Sycamores in extras before winning the season finale 5-3 on a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Starter Kenzie Ihle was breezing through the Bradley (21-32, 7-19 MVC) lineup in the bottom of the seventh, getting Caitlyn McCarron (2-5, 2B, RBI) down to her final strike with two outs in the game. However, McCarron took a pitch off the right field wall to tie the game 3-3 with an RBI double, and the Sycamores would be unable to score in extras before Kealia Wysocki's two-run walk-off in the ninth.
 
Indiana State and Bradley played tug-of-war for the first few innings, with Bradley striking first in the third on an RBI double by Maria Schroeder (3-4, 2B, RBI, HBP). The Sycamores were able to tie in the fifth after Brooke Mann (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI) started off a rally with a leadoff single to right field. Senior Kassie Brown (2-4) followed with a bunt single and freshman Leslie Sims moved them into scoring position on a sac bunt in time for an RBI groundout to second base by senior Rylee Holland.
 
Bradley was able to regain the lead in the bottom half of the fifth, scoring one unearned on an RBI sacrifice fly by Kelly Kapp (1-4, RBI).
 
The Sycamores seemingly took the momentum for good in the sixth inning after a crucial illegal pitch moved two into scoring position with two outs for Mann, who made the Braves pay with a frozen rope double into the right-center gap to give ISU a 3-2 lead.
 
The Sycamores end the season at 24-29 overall (tied for the seventh-most wins in school history), and 8-18 in MVC play. In addition, 24 wins is also the most since the 2015 team won 27 – the same team that won the MVC Tournament as the No. 8 seed.
 
Indiana State loses five seniors with today's season finale: outfielders Erika Crissman and Rylee Holland, infielders Kassie Brown and Mary Turitto, and catcher/designated player Brooke Riemenschneider.
 
"They have grown so much as people and as softball players," said interim head coach Tori Magner. "I am sad that we are losing five great seniors, but so excited to see what the future holds for this group.
 
"(The seniors) will be leaving behind their legacy on this program," Magner continued. "Because of them and this team, I have no doubt that we will be standing at the conference tournament next year."
 
Magner finishes the season 11-17 after taking over on March 24, winning her first series as head coach against UNI – who just today clinched a spot as the co-MVC regular season champions with Illinois State.
 
"This experience has been such a blessing," Magner said. "I couldn't have asked for a better group to help shape me as a coach. This team, these seniors and the administration have been so good to me. I want to thank them all, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me this opportunity."
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Softball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.