Illinois State played small ball against Iowa on Tuesday, as the Redbirds got down four sac bunts in the game, defeating Iowa 5-2 at Redbird Field. Eric Theisen pitched 3.2 innings of no-hit ball in relief to pick up his second win of the season.
The game was affected by weather throughout, as there were two delays in the sixth inning totaling 38 minutes.
Kitt Kopach started the game for Illinois State (11-12) and went 5.1 innings, allowing only three hits and no earned runs. Theisen (2-0) came on in relief following the first rain delay for the win.
Taking the loss for Iowa (4-11) was sophomore Ryan Dupic (0-1). Dupic, one of five Hawkeye pitchers in the game, went 3.2 innings and allowed five hits and one earned run. Starter Dave Conroy lasted two innings and gave up two earned runs in a no-decision.
The Redbirds got on the board first in the bottom of the second thanks to some old fashioned small-ball. Jay Molina led the inning off and was hit by a pitch. Molina would then steal second and move to third following a Kyle OBrien single. With runners on the corners, freshman Kevin Konsler singled to left to bring in Molina. After Brian Davis sac bunted to move both OBrien and Konsler to second and third, head coach Jim Brownlee took a chance with Blake Schoonover at the plate. On the first pitch Schoonover saw, OBrien broke from third and Schoonover made an outstanding effort to get the bunt down on a pitch well out of the strike zone, allowing OBrien to score and giving the Birds a 2-0 lead after two.
Iowa would tie the game up in the fifth inning without a hit. Dusty Napoleon led the inning off for the Hawks and attempted to bunt his way on. His bunt went directly to Kopach, but the Redbird pitcher threw the ball wide of first base, allowing Napoleon to move up to second. With Napoleon at second, Jason White hit a slow rolling ball to second baseman Lee Fischer. Fischer bobbled the ball and then had a poor throw to first, receiving two errors on the play and allowing Napoleon to score from second. White moved up to third on a sac bunt by Ryan Considine and came into score on a passed ball by the Redbird catcher Molina, tying the game at two after five.
The game was delayed by 21 minutes because of the weather in the top of the sixth inning. The Redbirds would take the lead quickly in the bottom of the sixth inning, after OBrien singled in Bolt from second to take a 3-2 lead. Before the teams could get through the sixth, play was halted for a second time due to the weather, this time with a delay of 17 minutes.
With a 3-2 lead, the Redbirds again went back to small ball in the bottom of the eighth. Molina led off the inning with a single and moved up to second on a sac bunt by OBrien. The Hawks made a play on Molina, but the throw went into centerfield, allowing both runners to reach safely. Mike Kelley came on to pinch hit next and singled to right, driving in Molina and moving OBrien to third. Davis would then lay down another sac bunt as a charging OBrien beat the throw to the plate, giving ISU a 5-2 lead.
Illinois State wraps up its 10-game homestand this weekend when they host the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a three-game series. Senior Matt Fowles (3-1) will make the start on Friday at 3:00 p.m. from Redbird Field.
