PEORIA, Ill. -- Sophomore Kelly Kapp (Freeburg, Ill./Gibault Catholic) went 4-for-7 with two runs scored to extend her hit streak to a career-best 13 games and Senior Alyson Spinas-Valainis (Davenport, Iowa/Assumption) had a complete game effort in a win as the pair helped Bradley split a pair of games against Missouri State Saturday afternoon at Laura Bradley Park.

Spinas-Valainis gave up just five hits and struck out five in a complete game victory in the day's first game as Bradley took its home opener 5-1 against the Bears Saturday afternoon.  In the nightcap, the Braves had a 2-1 lead after the fifth before Missouri State rallied for a run in the sixth to force extra innings and went on to salvage a split with a 3-2, eight-inning win.

In the opener, Spinas-Valainis and Bradley got out of early jams as Missouri State left runners at second and third in both the first and second innings.  Kapp helped the Braves jump out to an early lead, opening the bottom of the first with a bunt single.  Freshman Maria Schroeder (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) had a double to left center and both she and Kapp were able to score on a two-out wild pitch as Bradley grabbed a 2-0 lead after the first.

Missouri State cut the Bradley lead in half with a run on a Chelsea Jones two-out double in the top of the third to cut the Braves' advantage to 2-1. 

Bradley added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to push the lead to 5-1.  Singles by senior Lexi Cremeens (Dix, Ill./Mount Vernon), junior Kendall Duffy (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) and Kapp loaded the bases.  Junior Kathryn Spenn (Williamsville, Ill./Williamsville) delivered a pinch hit single to left to drive in the first run of the inning and freshman Erika Hansen (Fillmore, Calif./Moorpark) drove in her team-best 23rd run of the year with a slow-rolling single to third.  A passed ball allowed Kapp to score from third as Bradley built a 5-1 lead.

After surrendering five hits in the first three innings, Spinas-Valainis did not give up a hit in the final four frames and held Missouri State to just two walks after the third-inning run.  She retired the Bears in order in both the fifth and sixth, before working around a leadoff walk in the seventh to improve to 4-9 on the year with the victory.  Kapp was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs to help highlight the win for the Braves.

Offense was at a premium in the nightcap with the teams combining for seven hits through the first four innings and both starting pitchers took shutouts into the fifth. 

Mary Stephens, who was 5-for-5 in the second game, ripped a one-out, solo homer in the top of the fifth to give Missouri State a 1-0 lead. 

Bradley answered with two runs on just one hit in the bottom half of the inning, however.  A walk and hit batter to open the inning put runners on first and second.  Missouri State got the first out of the inning when Kapp popped up a bunt, but a throwing error by Chelsea Thomas on the play allowed pinch runner Telly Hunter (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) to score all the way from first and tie the game at 1-1.  A bloop single just over the first base bag by Schroeder plated senior Brittany Burgess (Utica, Ill./St. Bede) to put the Braves ahead 2-1.

The lead was short lived though, with Missouri State knotting the game at 2-2 with a run in the top of the sixth.  Stephens came through in the clutch for the Bears again, following a pair of walks with a two-out RBI single to knot the score. 

Both teams squandered scoring chances in the seventh, with Missouri State leaving runners at first and second and Bradley leaving a runner at third in the bottom half of the inning.  Burgess led off the seventh for the Braves with a single and advanced all the way to third on a throwing error on a Kapp single.  Kapp was thrown out on the play, however, and MSU's Erin Struemph retired the next two batters she faced as Bradley went to extra innings for the third time in the last seven games tied at 2-2.

Stephens had a two-out double to right in the top of the eighth for Missouri State and pinch runner Ali Trickey scored from second on a double off the bat of Erika Zimmer as the Bears grabbed a 3-2 lead. 

Bradley had a chance in the bottom half of the inning after sophomore Caitlyn McCarron (Dallas, Ore./Dallas) had a one-out double.  Struemph and Missouri State were able to escape the jam again, however, getting a pop out and strikeout to end the game. 

Struemph improved to 4-6 on the season for Missouri State, striking out nine and scattering seven hits in the eight-inning complete game victory.  Spinas-Valainis came out of the bullpen in the second game and suffered the loss, giving up four hits and one run in 2.2 innings. 

Bradley and Missouri State will close out the three-game series Sunday at Laura Bradley with a single game beginning at noon.