PEORIA, Ill. -- Missouri State pitcher Chelsea Jones pitched a four-hit complete game shutout and drove in a run with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly during a three-run fourth inning to help the Bears blank Bradley 3-0 Saturday afternoon at Laura Bradley Park.

Neither team had a hit in the first two innings, but both teams came up empty on scoring chances in the third.  Missouri State (21-28 overall, 12-11 MVC) left a pair of runners on in the top half of the inning and Bradley (22-28 overall, 7-16 MVC) had its best scoring chance of the contest in the bottom half of the frame.

Sophomore Shannnon King (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) had a one-out single and junior Alex Chandler (Needles, Calif./Needles) added a two-out infield single to give the Braves runners at first and second.  Sophomore Alyson Clemente (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) ripped a 2-0 pitch to center for a single, but Missouri State outfielder Kerri Cunningham threw out King at the plate attempting to score from second on the base hit to end the inning.

Stevie Pierce gave the Bears a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, leading off the inning with her team-leading 10th homer of the year.  Missouri State had runners at second and third with one out later in the inning, when Jones drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right and the Bears added another insurance run on a bunt single to push the lead to 3-0.

Bradley managed just one hit off Jones in the final four innings, with sophomore Brittany Burgess (Utica, Ill./St. Bede) collecting a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth.  Jones struck out six and allowed just one walk as she improved to 14-19 with the win.

Junior Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Sedro-Woolley) matched Jones' effort in the late innings, holding the Bears to one single in the final three innings.  Lynch-Crumrine took the loss, however, to drop to 14-15 on the season. 

Bradley and Missouri State close out the series Sunday with a noon doubleheader at Laura Bradley Park.  The Braves need to sweep Sunday's doubleheader and a pair of Creighton victories against Wichita State Sunday in Omaha, Neb., to lock up the eighth and final spot in next week's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.  Bradley senior pitcher Mackenzie Camp (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone) will play the final home games of her career Sunday and will be recognized prior to the games.