Nate Whitney knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Illinois State rallied to defeat UConn 12-11 in their first game of the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Illinois State trailed 8-3 heading into the seventh inning, however freshman Joe Burke came in and hit a pinch-hit two-run homer, his first as a a Redbird, to bring Illinois State to within three at 8-5.
The Redbirds (3-1) would rally again in the bottom of the eighth, as they would plate six, giving them a 11-8 advantage heading to the ninth.
UConn was able to get three runs off of relievers Dave Macdonald and Kyle Zaleski, setting up the stage for Whitney's heroics.
With one out, the Huskies walked the bases loaded and Whitney singled, giving Illinois State the 12-11 victory.
Zaleski blew the save opportunity, but did collect his first win (1-0) of the season.
Illinois State will take on North Florida on Monday night, with the first pitch set for 6:00 pm CST.
