PEORIA, Ill. - Steve Adkins struck out a career-best 10 batters and his battery mate Drew Carlile hit a go-ahead, 3-run home run in the sixth inning to lead Bradley (29-10, 7-4 MVC) to an 8-4 win against Evansville (21-18, 5-9 MVC) Saturday evening at Dozer Park.

The Braves have won five straight and eight of their last nine overall, while also clinching a third Missouri Valley Conference series win for the first time since 2007 (four), when the now 8-team league had nine members.

Adkins, who has struck out 19 hitters in his last two starts, did not walk a batter Saturday and worked around seven hits. He set the escape tone in the first inning after the Purple Aces put runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs on a leadoff error and high-hopping double down the left field line. Adkins responded by striking out the nation's co-hitting leader, Kevin Kaczmarski, and Jonathan Ramon, before getting Eric McKibban to foul out down the left field line.

Spencer Gaa's RBI single in the fifth forged a 2-2 tie and Adkins again escaped trouble in the top of the sixth after Ramon led off the inning with a double and took third with no outs on a wild pitch. With the infield drawn in, Adkins got McKibban to ground out to shortstop. He then struck out Korbin Williams and got Travis Tokarek to fly out to left to keep the Aces from pulling ahead.

Paul Solka led off the home half of the sixth with a single to right center and with one out, Leffler was hit by a pitch to set the stage for Carlile, who drilled a line drive just over the wall in left field for his third home run of the year, giving the Braves a 5-2 lead.

Adkins improved to 6-2 by allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits in his 6.2 innings. Junior lefty Cameron Roegner pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits, to earn his second save of the season.

Patrick Schnieders (2-6) took the loss for Evansville by allowing five runs on four hits with five walks.

Gaa led Bradley's 6-hit attack by going 2-for-3 with two RBI's. Second baseman Chris Godinez drew four walks in five plate appearances and extended his streaks for reaching base safely to 21 games and scoring at least one run to 12 games. He also tied the single-game school record for walks in a game, becoming the 10th player to draw four free passes.

Bradley's leadoff hitter reached safely in six of the eight innings and the Braves executed sacrifice bunts in five of those innings to set the Dozer Park record for sacrifices.

Bradley will shoot for its first Valley series sweep since 2010 (Missouri State) when the teams meet for the final game at 1 p.m. at Dozer Park. Braves junior lefty Brent Stong (5-2) is scheduled to face Evansville junior right-hander Connor Strain (2-4).