Box Score | Season Stats | MVC-Only Stats
 
PEORIA, Ill. – After Missouri State clinched the weekend series with its doubleheader sweep of Bradley on Saturday, the Bears dropped a 2-0 decision to the home standing Braves here Sunday in Missouri Valley Conference softball action.
 
Bradley (19-15, 6-5 MVC) got a complete-game three-hitter from starter Emma Jackson (4-4) who struck out six and walked six.
 
The Braves did all their damage in the third inning to break up a scoreless deadlock. Junior Kealia Wysocki smacked her ninth homer of the season off the scoreboard in right field to start the inning. Allison Apke then made it a 2-0 game on a single to center with two outs to bring Lucy Mead home from second.
 
Bears' starter Steffany Dickerson (14-6) struck out two and surrendered four hits in 3.0 innings of work before giving way to Madison Hunsaker in the fourth. Hunsaker faced the minimum, allowing just one hit over 3.0 innings of work in relief to keep MSU close.
 
Hunsaker also extended her career run to 9.2 innings of work against Bradley without allowing an earned run.
 
The Bears (22-14, 8-5 MVC) stranded eight and put runners in scoring position in four of the seven innings.
 
In the fifth, the first three Missouri State hitters all reached via walk to turn up the heat on the home team. In her first MVC start, Hope Hamilton started the rally with a free pass and gave way to pinch runner Ashton Thomas who was subsequently caught stealing. However, Payton Minnis and Kyana Mason followed with walks of their own to put runners at first and second with one out. Darby Joerling moved both runners into scoring position with a groundout, but Daphne Plummer's deep fly ball to center was wrangled up by Bradley to end the threat.
 
In the sixth, Hunsaker led the inning off with a walk, and three batters later Dickerson moved her into scoring position with a base hit. But Hamilton's high fly ball to left was corralled by the Braves to retired the side.
 
Missouri State went down in order in the seventh to secure Bradley's first MVC shutout since April 9, 2017.
 
Wysocki accounted for two of Bradley's five hits. The Braves left just two runners on base in the one hour, 48-minute game.
 
The Bears return home to Killian Stadium for a pair of mid-week games, starting with a Noon game on Tuesday against Southern Illinois. MSU will also host Tulsa in a non-conference tilt this Wednesday at 5 p.m., before returning to the Valley road next weekend at Illinois State.