SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Missouri State banged out six hits during a 5-run first inning and the 10th-ranked Bears (40-10, 17-3) rode the early outburst to a 9-2 win against Bradley (32-17, 10-10 MVC) Friday night at Hammnons Field.

Missouri State clinched the outright Missouri Valley Conference championship with its 11th consecutive win, while sending the Braves to their season-long fourth consecutive loss.

Bradley got off to a quick start when designated hitter Chris Godinez opened the game with a double and scored two batters later on Spencer Gaa's RBI ground out. The Braves did not score again until the sixth, however, as Gaa led off the frame with his first triple of the year and scored on a Drew Carlile groundout. The Braves managed only three more hits the rest of the game, two by Carlile.

Jordan Knutson earned the win for the Bears, improving to 4-1 by allowing two runs on four hits in 7.0 innings. Brent Stong (5-5) suffered the loss for Bradley by allowing seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits in 4.0 innings. The combination of DH/2B Eric Cheray (3-3, 3 RBI's) and left fielder Spencer Johnson (4-4, 3 RBI's) led Missouri State's 14-hit attack by combining to go 7-for-7 with four doubles, three walks and six RBI's.

The teams will close out the regular season with Saturday's 2:05 p.m. series finale. Bradley enters the finale tied with Wichita State for third place in the league standings, one game ahead of Illinois State. The Braves can clinch the No. 3 seed for next week's MVC Baseball Championship with a win or losses by both the Shockers (at #11 Dallas Baptist) and Redbirds (home versus Indiana State). Bradley will win a head-to-head tiebreaker against Wichita State, lose a head-to-head tiebreaker against Illinois State and will be the No. 4 seed if the Braves finish in a 3-way tie for third with the Shockers and Redbirds.

NOTE: During Friday's game, the College Baseball Foundation announced the list of 21 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year and Bradley P/DH Elliot Ashbeck was included on the list. Ashbeck is 10-4 with a 3.34 earned run average as Bradley's No. 1 starting pitcher and he is batting .286 with 10 doubles and 26 RBI's as the primary designated hitter when he is not pitching. Ashbeck's 10 wins lead the list of Olerud Award semifinalists and are tied for the fourth-best single-season total in Bradley history.