Bradley 10, at Illinois State 2

NORMAL, IL - Spencer Gaa was 3-for-6 with a go-ahead, 3-run home run and two doubles and Matt Dennis (W 6-3) threw 7.0 strong innings, leading Bradley (22-16, 6-6 MVC) to a 10-2 win at Illinois State (14-29, 4-8 MVC) in the opening game of the weekend's I-74 Rivaly series Friday night at Duffy Bass Field.

Illinois State snapped a streak of 16.2 consecutive scoreless innings by Bradley pitching when second baseman Joe Kelch brought home Daniel Dwyer from third base with a one-out safety squeeze bunt. Dennis bounced back to get a pop out to end the third, but ran into trouble again in the fourth after the Redbirds opened the frame with consecutive singles to put runners on the corners with no outs.

Derek Parola attempted another squeeze bunt, but the ball came right back to Dennis, who caught the runner from the third in a rundown. The play started a stretch that saw Dennis retire 11 consecutive batters. By the time Illinois State got its next hit, a 2-out infield single in the seventh, the Braves had built a 7-1 lead.

After coming up empty in two RBI opportunities early in the game, Gaa delivered in the fifth with a 3-run home run, his fourth of the year, a line drive over the wall in left center to score Brady Wilkin and Ian Kristan. The junior third baseman then started Bradley's four-run rally in the seventh with a liner into the left centerfield gap for the first of his two doubles. Tyler Leffler followed with a RBI single. Kristan added a bases loaded walk later in the inning and Wilkin completed the uprising with a 2-run single.

Bradley entered the game 15th nationally by averaging 2.27 doubles per game and the Braves added to their total by banging out five two-baggers Friday. Paul Solka could have made it six, but legged out a 2-run triple in the eighth and Kristan completed Bradley's scoring with a run-scoring single later in the inning.

Illinois State greeted Bradley reliever Nathan Stong with a pair of extra base hits to start the home half of the eighth, but he got two strikeouts and a popout to end the mini-threat and Eric Scheuermann worked the ninth to close out the win.

In addition to Gaa's 3-hit effort, Kristan was 3-for-4 with two RBI's, while Wilkin and Leffler both finished 2-for-4 to highlight Bradley's 14-hit attack.

The two teams are scheduled to continue the series with a 2 p.m. game Saturday, but the start time is in question due to expected rain Saturday. The series finale is set for a 1 p.m. start Sunday at Duffy Bass Field.