Jeremy Accardo crushed a two-run homer in the top of the eleventh inning to break a 7-7 tie and give the Illinois State baseball team its second straight Friday Missouri Valley Conference win 9-8 over Bradley at OBrien Field in Peoria, Ill.
Illinois State improves to 18-27 overall and 9-15 in the Valley, while Bradley falls to 20-26 overall with a 9-13 record in league play. The Redbirds scattered a season-high 20 hits in the game compared to just ten for the Braves. Accardo finished the game 4-for-6 with three runs scored and four RBI, while Nate Whitney went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Jeremy Pickrel got the game started on the right note for the Redbirds when he crushed a two-run shot to right field in the top of the first inning to put Illinois State ahead 2-0. In the bottom of the first, Jason Morelock hit a bases-loaded, two RBI single to centerfield to tie the game, 2-2.
After a scoreless second inning, Whitney hit a one-out double to right field and later scored on an RBI single to centerfield by Jeremy Accardo with two outs to take the 3-2 lead over the Braves in the top of the third inning. Illinois State starter Todd Stein kept the Braves bats in check over the next four innings put Bradley down 1-2-3 in each of those frames.
In the bottom of the sixth with runners at second and first with one out, Morelock struck again with an RBI single to right-center that tied the game, 3-3. In the top of the seventh, the Redbirds pounded Braves starter Collin Walker for six straight hits en route to four runs and forced Bradley to send in Brandon Magee with one out and Illinois State with the 7-3 lead.
The Braves answered in the bottom of the seventh with four hits and the Birds had two costly errors at short, which turned into four runs tying the game 7-7 heading into the eighth and sending Kyle Zaleski into the game in relief of Stein. With one out in the top of the eighth, the Redbirds took not get the go-ahead run as Whitney lined out to first base and Chris Shepherd struck out swinging to retire the side.
Dave Macdonald came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning for Illinois State and was able to put the Braves down 1-2-3 to send the game to the ninth with the score knotted at 7-7. In the top of the ninth, Accardo led off with a single, but Pickrel grounded into a fielders choice and was later caught attempting to steal second. After a base hit by Lance McMillan, Greg Blaesing grounded out to third for the final out.
Rene Aqueron led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and Steve Strickler advanced him to second on the sac bunt. Macdonald intentionally walked Ryan Sullivan in the next Brave at-bat and then struck out Dan Puente and forced Morelock to fly out to right to send the game to extra innings.
Scott Bialobreski led off the top of the tenth with a base hit to left field, but was stranded there as Bradley reliever Mike Jakubowski retired the next three Redbird batters. The Braves also left a runner stranded at first in the bottom of the tenth. After the Accardo home run in the top of the eleventh, Ryan Sullivan had a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to narrow the lead to one, 9-8.
Illinois State continues its series with the Braves Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. The first game will be seven innings, while the nightcap will be a nine-inning affair.
