EAST PEORIA, ILL. ? No. 8 seeded Indiana State scored two runs in the fifth inning to rally for a 3-2 victory against Drake, eliminating the defending champion Bulldogs, in the quarterfinal round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Tournament Thursday.

The No. 4 seeded Bulldogs, who captured the 2008 MVC Tournament championship, closed out the season with a 30-23 record.

Junior Elena Leon (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) started the first inning reaching base on an error by Indiana State pitcher Meagan McCurdy.  Leon stole second and advanced to third when Torey Craddock (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic) was thrown out at first by second baseman Stephanie Robinson.

Sophomore Erin Bly (Frankfort, Ill. (Lincoln Way East) reached base on a walk, giving the Bulldogs a first and third situation. Bly attempted to steal second, looking to get in a rundown to score Leon, but the throw to second on the steal rolled into right center field, allowing Leon to score while Bly reached second base.

With one out in the third inning, DeLong struck out Stephanie Robinson to become Drake's single-season strikeout leader with 244 strikeouts in the 2009 campaign.

Leon opened the third inning with a home run to centerfield, giving Drake a 2-0 lead. She also became Drake's single-season runs leader with 45.

Indiana State answered in the fourth with a home run from Audrey Childress to cut the lead in half, 2-1.

Molly McClelland (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) led Drake with two hits. Leon, junior Bridget Shields (Iowa City, Iowa/West) and Bly each added one hit.

Sophomore Jenna DeLong (Dalton Gardens, Idaho/Coeur d'Alene) went the distance in the circle, allowing nine hits, walking one and striking out five.