2016 MVC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME 12 | (7) Missouri State 9, (3) Bradley 3

TERRE HAUTE, IN - Spencer Johnson hit two home runs and Andy Cheray threw 8.0 strong innings, leading seventh-seeded Missouri State (37-20) to a 9-3 win against No. 3 seed Bradley (29-20) in Game 12 of the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship Friday night at Bob Warn Field.

The two teams will meet for a third time in the double-elimination tournament at 3 p.m. ET Saturday for the Pool B bracket title and a shot at Pool A winner Dallas Baptist in the tournament championship game at 7 p.m. ET at Bob Warn Field.

Including a 10-0 win in seven innings Thursday night against the Bears, Bradley pitching carried a streak of 19.0 scoreless tournament innings since the first inning of the opener versus Wichita State into the fourth inning Friday, but given an opening, Missouri State's high-powered offense broke out.

Bradley took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on Paul Solka's 2-run double, but the Bears began their outburst in the fourth on Eduardo Castro's RBI double. Spencer Johnson tied things up, 2-2, with his 22nd home run of the season in the sixth.

The wheels came off in the seventh after the Bears loaded the bases on a solid single and two bunt singles against Bradley starter Brent Stong (L 2-2). Twin brother Nathan Stong relieved with no outs to face the top of the order. Hunter Steinmetz greeted Nathan Stong with a 2-run double inside the bag at first base to ignite a 7-run outburst that also included Johnson's second home run of the night and a third Bears home run from Castro.

Missouri State added four more runs in the eighth to force the MVC run-rule a night after Bradley turned the trick against the Bears.

Andy Cheray (W 2-2), who was the starting pitcher in the 2015 MVC Baseball Championship game win versus Bradley, went the distance for the Bears Friday night, limiting the Braves to just two runs on four hits through the first seven innings. He began to run out of gas in the eighth, giving up a leadoff double to Tyler Leffler and a solid single to Paul Solka before an error allowed Leffler to score the final run, but his complete game effor gave his bullpen an important break before Championship Saturday.

Despite Friday's loss, Bradley will play on Championship Saturday for the second consecutive year, a program first since the introduction of the multiple team format.