Missouri State scored early and often, as the No. 2 seed Bears downed No. 5 Southern Illinois in the second game of the 2006 ConAgra Foods MVC Baseball Championship. Missouri State advances to Thursday with a win and improves to 31-20 on the season. Southern Illinois will play No. 1 Evansville at 11 a.m. on Thursday, and fall to 33-24 on the year.

MSU scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and three in the second before scoring two more in the fourth. Southern Illinois scored three of its own in the fifth, but it wasn’t enough. The Bears out hit SIU 11-9 in the contest and had two errors to SIU’s one. Scott Carroll was the winning pitcher for Missouri State, picking up his sixth win of the year. He allowed eight hits and four earned runs while facing 25 battings through five innings. Chris Krawczyk, a first-team all-conference player, earned his ninth save of the year in the contest.

Missouri State was led by catcher Clay Coulter, who was 2-for-5 with three runs batted in while Tim Rafferty was also an offensive power, with three hits and two RBI.

Jordan Powell of SIU took the loss on the mound after allowing seven runs, all earned, through three and a third innings pitched.