April 13, 2007
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
Senior leadership was overflowing for the Illinois State baseball team in Friday's Missouri Valley Conference series opener with Indiana State, as seniors Matt Bolt and Kyle O'Brien each hit home runs in the eighth inning to lead the Redbirds (15-16, 6-4 MVC) to an 8-4 victory over the Sycamores (16-15, 1-6 MVC) at Redbird Field. The `Birds are now 5-2 at home this season and 4-0 at home in Valley play.
Junior starter Eric Theisen (3-4) earned the win on the mound for the Redbirds, as he allowed just three earned runs on four hits in seven innings of work. Indiana State starter Ryan Hayes (3-3) suffered the loss for the Sycamores, after giving up four earned runs on five hits while walking four batters in six innings.
Indiana State scored the first runs of the game in the top of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. With runners on first and third and one out, Ryan Bond doubled to deep center field and cleared the bases as Nick Ciolli and Ryan Strausborger scored to give the Sycamores the two run advantage.
Hayes then sent the Redbirds down in order for the next two innings, but fell into some trouble in the bottom of the fifth inning. Back-to-back walks by Jesse Griswold and O'Brien led off the inning and then both runners advanced a base on a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Mike Stalowy. Kyle Cherney then doubled to right field, which allowed both runners to score and tied the game at 2-2. After a Mike Tokarski single moved Cherney to third base, Bolt singled into left field to score Cherney for the third run of the inning and gave the Redbirds the 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Illinois State would plate its fourth run of the game courtesy of some hustle from Ryan Anetsberger, who led off the inning with double down the left field line. Kevin Dubler was up next and hit a long fly ball into the right-centerfield gap, which allowed Anetsberger to tag up and move to third base. However, Indiana State's Ciolli did not pay attention to Anetsberger and he was waived around third base and scored on the unusual two-base sacrifice fly to make the score 4-2.
The Sycamores answered immediately in the top of the seventh inning with a run of their own to cut the Illinois State lead to one at 4-3. However, the Redbirds would break the game open in the bottom of the eighth inning on the leadoff solo home run from Bolt and the three-run shot from O'Brien to widen the lead to 8-3. Indiana State would tack on a run in the top of the ninth inning to no avail, as O'Brien got the final two outs of the game on the mound to secure the 8-4 victory.
Anetsberger finished the day 2-for-4 with two doubles and run scored, while Bolt added two hits and two RBI for the Redbirds. The two teams return to action on Saturday for the second game of the weekend series at Redbird Field. Senior Mike Hlavacek (1-0, 4.02 ERA) will take the mound for the Redbirds, with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
