2016 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME 3 | (3) Bradley 5, (6) Wichita State 2

TERRE HAUTE, IN - Matt Dennis settled in after a shaky start with 7.1 strong innings,Tyler Leffler hit a go-ahead home run and DJ Gasso continued his hot-hitting against Wichita State as Bradley banged out a 5-2 win against the Shockers in the opening round of the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship Wednesday evening at Bob Warn Field.

Dennis (W 9-3) gave up consecutive 2-out hits in the first, the second an Alec Bohm home run, but the junior did not give up another hit until a 1-out single in the eighth inning. Freshman LHP Ben Olson got a big double play to end the eighth and closer Allan Beer earned his seventh save by getting the final two outs as the Braves advanced to the Pool B winners bracket and a Thursday (6 p.m. CT) matchup against the winner of tonight's Missouri State-Indiana State game.

Bradley rallied with three runs in the third, which started with the first of Gasso's three hits. After a Brady Wilkin sacrifice, Luke Mangieri drove home Bradley's first run with a bloop single. Leffler lifted his second home run of the season, both go-ahead shots against Wichita State, over the left center field wall for a 3-2 lead later in the inning.

The fifth inning started the same way - Gasso leadoff single and Wilkin sacrifice. This time, the Bradley second baseman came home on Spencer Gaa's 2-out double down the left field line. Gasso then added some insurance with a RBI double in the eighth inning.

Bradley banged out 11 hits en route to its third straight MVC Tournament opening-round win.