Jeremy Pickrel went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI as the Illinois State baseball team posted its second straight shutout by defeating Western Illinois 9-0 in six innings Wednesday at Vince Grady Field in Macomb, Ill. The game was called following the sixth inning due to lightning.
Kyle Bloom (3-3) earned the win on the mound for the Birds pitching all six innings and allowing only three hits and striking out five Leathernecks. Illinois State turned in a season-high 15 hits in the game and improved their overall record to 11-19.
Kyle pitched very well today, said Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee. He got his change-up working and it made him hard to stop. I was concerned at the beginning of the game because we left a lot of runners stranded and I thought it would come back to haunt us. The guys got the bats going later in the game and Pickrel and (Jeremy) Accardo turned in really nice performances.
Accardo finished the game 4-for-5 with a run scored, while Scott Bialobreski went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Western Illinois used four pitchers in the game, but none of them could shut down the Redbirds hot bats.
Illinois State heads to Muncie, Ind., on Friday, April 18, for a non-conference, four-game series against Ball State. The first game of the series starts at 3 p.m.
