WATERLOO, Iowa -- Bradley senior right-hander Michael Christl struck out a career-best nine hitters, but his counterpart, Northern Iowa junior left-hander Aaron Jenkins, countered with 15 strikeouts in a 4-2 victory in the opening game of the final Missouri Valley Conference series of the season Thursday night at Riverfront Stadium.  Bradley fell to 29-18 overall an 12-10 in The Valley with its second straight loss, while the Panthers improved to 22-27, 7-15.

Both starters went the distance.  Christl (5-6), whose previous career best was eight strikeouts in last year's matchup against the Panthers, allowed just six hits and one walk against his nine strikeouts in his second consecutive complete game and fourth of the season.  Jenkins evened his record at 4-4 by allowing just five hits and two walks in his 151-pitch effort.

The Panthers grabbed the early leady by scoring twice in the first inning.  Derik Manrique led off with a double down the left field line, and after advancing to third on a passed ball, he scored the game's first run on a Brandon Douglas single up the middle.  Douglas went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Dane Embury's 2-out single through the box.

Christl settled down after the rough first inning, however, and retired 14 straight UNI hitters until walking Jordan Kraayenbrink with one out in the sixth.  He immediately got Douglas to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Bradley pulled even in the fifth in unlikely fashion, a 2-run home run by Jones, Bradley's senior centerfielder who was hitting ninth in the lineup.  Peter Malinowski led off the fifth with a single for for Bradley's second hit and advanced to second on a balk.  After Colby Luttrell struck out, Jones delivered his first career home run and just his fourth extra-base hit of the season to knot the score at 2-2.

The Panthers regained the lead in the seventh on Embury's solo blast, then gained an insurance run in the eighth when Manrique legged out his second double and scored on a Kraayenbrink single.

Bradley senior shortstop Ryan Curry, who entered the game easily leading The Valley with a .436 batting average, singled to open the sixth inning and extend his hitting streak to 18 games.

The Braves did get some good news Thursday as Southern Illinois dropped a 6-5 decision in 11 innings at Indiana State.  By winning just one of the two remaining games at UNI, Bradley will finish no worse than tied for third in The Valley standings and will earn the No. 3 seed for the MVC Tournament next week at Missouri State.  The Braves, who own the tie-breakers against both potential third-place finishers Evansville and Southern Illinois, have not finished as high as third in the final league standings since 1993.

The series at UNI will continue with a 6:30 p.m. start Friday and will conclude with a 2 p.m. game Saturday at Riverfront Stadium.  Junior Jon Goebel (3-1) is expected to start Friday's game.