Drake won its third State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Tournament title, and first since 1994, as tournament MVP Brynne Dordel pitched her way out of bases loaded jams in the sixth and seventh innings in the Bulldogs’ 7-2 win over Missouri State in Carbondale Ill., at Charlotte West Stadium. Drake centerfielder Kristin Birocci hit a three-run homerun in the third inning to put the Bulldogs on top with a lead they would never relinquish.

Missouri State jumped on top in the bottom of the second inning when designated player Christa Gammon tripled home Ashley Knehans, who had reached on an error to lead off the inning.
Drake answered with four runs in its next at bat, including the Birocci’s three-run shot and an RBI single from catcher Susan Slycord.
 
The Bears (28-22, 11-12 MVC) would pull one run back in the bottom of the fourth on Knehans solo homerun, her third of the season. 
 
Knehans shot over the left field fence would be the last of the Missouri State scoring as Dordel, the winning pitcher in all three tournament wins, worked her way out of trouble in the sixth and seventh for her 19^th win of the season.   Drake would add three runs in the top of seventh on a pair of hits and an MSU error to account for the final spread.   Drake (29-24, 13-10 MVC) earns the Missouri Valley Conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Softball Championship.  The tournament selection show is set to air Sunday at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
 
 
Recaps and box scores from the early rounds are below.   
 
All-Tournament Team
Evansville * Brittany Herald
Indiana State * Lindsey Starwalt
Southern Illinois * Danielle Glosson
Wichita State * Cynthia Verhulst
Creighton * Tara Oltman
Creighton * Michelle Koch
Illinois State * Amber Smith
Illinois State * Kara Nelson
Missouri State * Michelle Armentrout
Missouri State * Jessie Smith
Missouri State * Melissa Porche
Drake * Jaci Faidley
Drake * Marilyn Buss
Drake * Kristin Birocci
Drake * Brynne Dordel (MVP)