Chris Shepherd drove in two runs but Illinois State struggled on the mound, as they fell to Southwest Missouri State 8-2 Friday night in front of 6,264 people at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.
After putting together five consecutive quality outings, Kyle Bloom struggled mightily in his Friday night start for the Redbirds. Bloom (4-6) only lasted three innings in the loss, as he gave up six hits and six earned runs, while striking out four. The lefty also had three wild pitches in the game.
Picking up the win for SMS was righthander Derek Drage (3-5). The junior pitched a complete game, scattering five hits over nine innings, while allowing only two earned runs.
SMS (27-20, 16-8) would get on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. Bloom hit the first two batters of the game and they would both eventually come in to score, making it 2-0 Bears after one.
The Bears would get four more in the bottom of the third, as Bloom continued to struggle with his control. The first three batters in the inning got hits and the next three batters reached base, two via walks, and SMS took a 6-0 lead after three.
Illinois State (16-26, 7-14) would get on the board in the top of the fifth, when Shepherd drove in the first Redbird run of the game, making it 6-1.
The Bears would add two more in the bottom of the sixth, as they got three hits in the inning, including two RBI singles in the inning, to make it 8-1.
Shepherd would drive in his second run of the game with a sac fly in the top of the seventh, cutting the SMS lead to 8-2.
The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. from Hammons Field. Todd Stein will start game one for Illinois State, while Josh Kauten will make the start in game two. Gametracker will be available for fans to follow all the action.
