Strong pitching from Dan Frega and home runs by Blake Schoonover and Jay Molina powered the Illinois State Redbirds to a 7-1 victory over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Saturday in Bowling Green, Ky.
Frega (1-2) picked up the win for Illinois State, moving the teams record to 3-5. Frega pitched 7.2 innings, giving up just one run on three hits with six strikeouts on the day. Sophomore Kenny Griffin (0-2) took the loss for the Hilltoppers (3-8), throwing 6.2 innings, giving up 6 runs on 9 hits.
Frega pitched four hitless innings to start the game, taking advantage of a strike out, throw out double play to get out of the second inning unscathed. After walking Hilltopper first baseman Marcus Ross to begin the inning, Frega struck out Jordan Newton swinging and Redbird catcher Jay Molina caught Ross stealing to end the inning.
The Redbirds got the scoring started in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman Lee Fischer singled to start the inning and advanced to third base with no outs when Griffin threw the ball in the dirt on a botched pick off play. Junior transfer Blake Schoonover doubled to bring Fischer in to give the Birds the lead 1-0.
However, the Redbirds were not done scoring, putting three runs on the board in the top of the sixth. With two outs, designated hitter Nick Crist singled to center and then stole second. Fischer, who was 3-4 on the day with an R.B.I., singled to center scoring Crist to extend the Redbird lead to 2-0. Schoonover then came up and sent his first home run of the season over the left field wall, putting the lead at 4-0 going into the bottom of the sixth.
Junior Jay Molina continued the Redbird scoring attack in the seventh, hitting a two-run home run in the seventh. The home run, Molinas second of the year, scored sophomore Matt Bolt to extend the lead to 6-0. In the eighth, junior Chris Frank got his chance to add to the score and he took full advantage, doubling off the center field wall to score Schoonover to bring the score to 7-0, ending the scoring for the Birds.
The Hilltoppers tallied their only score of the day in the bottom of the eighth. Junior Corteze Armstrong had a pinch hit single with one out and junior Kacy Bruce doubled to score Armstrong.
The Redbirds conclude their three-game set with the Hilltoppers, Sunday at 1:00 p.m at Nick Denes Field.
