WICHITA, Kan. - Michael Blatchford, who entered the game in the 11th inning as a pinch-runner, delivered a walk-off single in the 12th, leading Creighton (27-24) to a 6-5 win against Bradley (20-32) in the first elimination game of the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday at Eck Stadium.

Bradley's season ends after playing its longest game by innings in MVC Tournament history.  Creighton advances to Thursday's 4 p.m. game versus the loser of this evening's contest between Tuesday victors Illinois State and Indiana State.

For the second time this season against Creighton, Bradley second baseman Matt Fritz led off the game with a home run, but Creighton starter Ty Blach settled in and retired 12 of Bradley's next 13 hitters.

While Bradley starter Joe Bircher recovered from a leadoff walk to retire the next eight hitters he faced in order, the Bluejays put together three singles in the bottom of the fourth to pull even.  TJ Roemmich drove in the tying run with a one-out single to right.

The Braves bounced right back in the fifth to reclaim the lead, 2-1, on Jason Leblebijian's RBI single.  Fritz drove in his second run of the game when he followed with a safety squeeze and Rob Elliott added Bradley's third hit of the inning, driving home Leblebijian with a single to center for a 4-1 advantage.  Bradley's first multiple-hit inning of the tournament chased Blach, as Brandon Koenigstein was summoned from the bullpen with two outs in the fifth.

Although Bradley picked up an insurance run in the eighth when Leblebijian led off with his second triple of the year and scored on Elliott's one-out single through Creighton's drawn-in infield, Koenigstein allowed the Bluejays to rally by limiting the Braves to that lone run in his 6.2 innings of work.

Bircher appeared to be on cruise control with one-out in the eighth, when things suddenly came unraveled.  Robby Knight reached for a fourth time in the game when Bircher drilled him between the numbers.  Alex Staehely followed with a walk, and after Trever Adams singled to load the bases, Roemmich delivered a 3-run double to pull the Bluejays within 5-4.  After Carson Vitale flew out for the second out off Bradley reliever Justin Ziegler, Jimmy Swift tied things up with an RBI single to center.

Bradley got the first scoring opportunity in extra innings when Kevin Sullivan blooped a one-out double into left field in the 11th.  But after pinch-hitter Jordan Colvin walked, Mike Tauchman flew out and Phil Kaiser struck out to end the threat.  The Braves had another scoring opportunity in the top of the 12th when freshman Bob Schuch led off with a double to right field.  After Leblebijian moved him to third with a sacrifice, Bobby Lackovic (4-3) replaced Koenigstein on the mound to face the top of the Bradley order and he got Fritz to pop out and Elliott on an inning-ending fly ball to the left field warning track.

Bradley reliever Kori Jensen (5-4), who worked out of an 11th-inning jam, got the first two outs of the bottom of the 12th with no problem.  The Wichita native got into trouble, though, when he walked Vitale and plunked Swift to put runners at 1st and 2nd with two outs.  Blatchford made the Braves pay when he singled through the left side of the infield and Vitale beat Tauchman's throw home for the walk-off victory.