SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Bradley third baseman Rob Elliott reached base three times by going 2-for-4 with a home run, but Missouri State (28-18, 9-6 MVC) scored twice each in the sixth and seventh innings and held on for a 5-4 win against the Braves (22-24, 4-12 MVC) in the opening game of a Missouri Valley Conference weekend series Friday at Hammons Field.

Nick Petree (8-1) won the battle of pitching aces, despite giving up three runs on eight hits in his 8.0 innings.   Coming off his 2-hit shutout last week against Southern Illinois, Joe Bircher (6-5) took the loss for the Braves by surrendering all five MSU runs on six hits in his third complete-game effort in his last four outings.

Bradley jumped out to a quick lead, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first Elliott opened the game with a leadoff double, advanced to second on a Jason Leblebijian sacrifice and scored on a Mike Tauchman single.

The Braves added to the lead in the top of the fourth when David Compitello reached on an infield single, advanced to second on a ground out and scored on a 2-out, Bob Schuch single.

Bircher's streak of consecutive scoreless innings, dating back to the April 29 series opener at Creighton, stretched to 15.0 innings until Missouri State pushed across a run in the bottom of the fourth.  Aaron Conway led of with a single through the left side of the infield, the first hit against Bircher in 6 2/3 innings going back to a leadoff single in the sixth inning of last week's series opener against Southern Illinois.  Conway stole second, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on another ground out to pull the Bears within 2-1.

Conway also was in the middle of Missouri State's go-ahead rally in the sixth inning, following Travis McComack's 1-out single with an RBI triple and scoring on a Kevin Medrano ground ball for a 3-2 lead.

Elliott's solo home run with one out in the seventh pulled the Braves back into a tie, 3-3, but the Bears came right back with two more runs during a 2-out rally in the home half of the seventh.  Broc Chaffin started the rally by drawing Bircher's only walk of the game.  Spiker Helms followed with a single to left and McComack followed with an RBI single to right center.  Helms went to third on McComack's single and scored when Bircher uncorked a wild pitch for a 5-3 advantage.

Pinch-hitter Greg Partyka drilled his second home run of the year off Missouri State reliever Dan Kickham to open the ninth inning, trimming Bradley's deficit to 5-4, but the Braves could not continue the rally against the Bears closer, who earned his 11th save of the season.

The teams will continue their weekend series with a noon game Saturday.  Junior lefthander Tory Doerr is expected to take the mound for the Braves.