2015 MVC Baseball Championship Final
(1) #8 Missouri State 5, (2) Bradley 2

WICHITA, Kan. - Baseball often can be a cruel game of inches and three close plays worked against Bradley in its bid for its first Missouri Valley Conferenct title since 1968 Sunday morning. Four Missouri State pitchers combined on a 4-hitter and the No. 8 Bears (45-10) rallied for a 5-2 win against Bradley (35-19) at Wichita State's Eck Stadium.

Missouri State extended its winning streak to 16 straight games and further cemented its bid to host a NCAA Regional by adding the MVC Tournament title to its league regular-season championship. Bradley sits at No. 19 in the immediate RPI report following Sunday's championship game and the Braves will have a long 24-hour wait to find out if they have done enough to earn their first postseason bid since winning the 1968 Valley title.

ESPNU will televise the 2015 NCAA Baseball Championship Selection Show at 11 a.m. CT Monday and the public is invited to Buffalo Wild Wings at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie for a Selection Show Party Monday.

Bradley took an early lead, but missed out on a couple of opportunities to add to the lead early in the game. Making his second start of the tournament and hitting for himself for the first time in his career, Elliot Ashbeck put Bradley on the board with a run-scoring ground out in the bottom of the first. Isaac Smith attempted to extend the late with a straight steal of home, but was called out at the plate on a bang-bang play.

Bradley took a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Evan Gruener singled to start the frame, advanced to second on a Carson Weber sacrifice, third on a Chris Godinez ground out and scored on a throwing error by Bears short stop Joey Hawkins. Spencer Gaa followed with a deep line drive that Bears left fielder Spencer Johnson caught at the top of the wall to end the third.

After Missouri State pulled even with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, the Bears pulled ahead with two runs in the seventh. After Cory Kay doubled to start the seventh, Bradley appeared to throw him out at third on a ground ball to short, but he was called safe to set up a first-and-third situation with no outs. Dylan Becker followed with a RBI ground out to plate Kay with the go ahead run and Hawkins provided some insurance with a run-scoring single to second for a 4-2 lead.

After Andy Cheray allowed a pair of unearned runs on three hits in 4.2 innings, the trio of Sam Perez (9-1), Matt Hall and Bryan Young combined to shut down the Bradley attack the rest of the way. The Braves did not get another hit until Drew Carlile singled with one out in the ninth.

After throwing 113 pitches in Bradley's 9-2 win versus Evansville Wednesday, Ashbeck was effective in his second tourney start Sunday, limiting the Bears to one unearned run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks in his 4.0 innings.

Second baseman Chris Godinez was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team with shortstop Tyler Leffler.