Bradley had the first hit of the contest in the top of the second when senior Samantha Smith legged out her 14th double of the season.  The Braves couldn't get her home, however, stranding Smith at third in a scoreless top of the second. 
 
Drake took advantage of a Bradley error to open the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead.  Addie Lightner reached on an error to start the inning and the Bulldogs had two on after a Libby Ryan walk.  After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, pinch runner Aubree Bietzinger was able to make it home when she escaped a run down following a failed suicide squeeze attempt.  
 
In the top of the fourth, senior Lucy Mead led off the frame with a walk and stole second.  French made it a 2-1 Bradley lead, crushing her third homer of the day as she ripped a two-run shot to left.  The Braves loaded the bases later in the inning with Smith and Jordy van der Werf sandwiching singles around a Keeler van Breusegen walk.  Freshman Katie Pederson made it a 4-1 Bradley advantage when she ripped a two-out, two-run single to left. 

 
The home run made French the ninth player in league history to hit three homers in a single MVC Tournament and just the second to do so since 2008. 
 
Drake loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth on a single, double and fielder's choice.  Sophomore Camryn Schaller induced a pair of flyouts to left, but a bloop single to first base by Delaney Taylor drove in the runner from third for the first run of the inning and a two-out single through the left side of the infield by Lightner plated two more as the Bulldogs knotted the score at 4-4. 
 
Bradley answered with a run in the top of the fifth to go back in front 5-4.  French ripped a one-out infield single and came all the way around from first to score the go-ahead run on a two-out double by Smith, who went 3-for-4 in the contest. 

 
A two-out walk in the bottom of the fifth proved costly for the Braves.  Carey Koenig led off the inning with a single and Makayla Rice kept the inning alive with a two-out walk for Emily Valtman, who hit a three-run homer to right to give Drake a 7-5 lead. 
 
In the sixth, Addie Welsh led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch.  After Pederson drew a one-out walk to put two runners on, Welsh came home when Camryn Monteer reached on an error as the Braves pulled within one run at 7-6.  Later in the inning, Bradley had runners at second and third with two outs when French was intentionally walked to load the bases.  Rice was able to track down a hard-hit ball by Abbott Badgley to end the inning, however. 
 
Drake added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth after loading the bases with a one-out double, walk and single.  Alexia Lara drew a bases loaded walk to plate the first run of the inning and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rice gave the Bulldogs a 9-6 edge.
 
The Braves tried to mount a seventh inning rally with Welsh ripping a two-out single and junior Abigail Tyler drawing a pinch-hit walk to bring the tying run to the plate.  Drake escaped with the 9-6 victory, however, getting a flyout to end the contest. 
 
Drake advances to the MVC Tournament semifinals to face #1 seed Northern Iowa Friday.