March 22, 2009
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. - Corey Maines struck out a career-high 10 batters and scattered two hits over seven innings while pitching Illinois State to an 11-2 series-clinching win over Evansville at Duffy Bass Field Sunday.
Maines, who lifted the Redbirds over the Purple Aces with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th on Friday night, used his arm - and a whole lot of help from his teammates - to lead Illinois State (10-6, 2-1 MVC) to victory in the series finale. Illinois State got nine hits and 10 RBI from the top four batters in the lineup, including a career-high tying three RBI from both Mike Stalowy and Evan Kohli.
"It was an awesome weekend," Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee said. "We were one inning away (Saturday) from sweeping them - that would have been nice to do. I think Evansville is going to win some games in the league. We kind of jumped on them today and stayed on them. Our hitters did a really good job in the batter's box."
Maines allowed just five batters to reach and surrendered one walk to earn his team-leading fourth win of the season. The only hits the sophomore from Houston, Texas, allowed were back-to-back in the third inning and led to the Purple Aces' only runs. Maines fanned six batters in his last three innings.
"Corey got the lead and he gets better as the game goes along," Brownlee said. "He's pretty good and he's been that way all year. He's made great strides on the mound since last year. He can put all three of his pitches anywhere he wants to."
The Redbirds led from the outset, pushing a run across and getting three batters on base before the first out was recorded. Illinois State tagged Evansville starter Zach Taylor for three runs - just one earned - and chased the sophomore after facing five hitters.
Illinois State maintained the 3-0 lead until Evansville (7-11, 1-2 MVC) collected its consecutive hits - a single by Cody Fick up the middle and a blooper down the right field line that rolled to the wall for an RBI triple by Shawn Kuester. Kuester scored from third on a balk by Maines and Andy Pascoe grounded out to short on the very next pitch to end the inning.
The Redbirds responded with runs in each of the next three innings and built a comfortable 11-2 lead for Maines, who was lifted for Matt Werderitch in the eighth inning. Werderitch retired the side in order and Jim Sajewich worked around a two-out walk in the ninth to close the game.
Stalowy and Tyler McNeely led the `Birds with three hits each and Collin Salzenstein finished the game with two hits at the top of lineup. McNeely and Salzenstein also finished with two RBI.
Evansville used six pitchers in the loss and got three combined scoreless innings of relief from Keegan Dennis and Dan Holcomb. The Purple Aces committed four errors in the field.
The Redbirds travel to Charleston, Ill., for a mid-week contest with Eastern Illinois (13-5, 3-0 OVC) Wednesday at 3 p.m., before continuing the Missouri Valley Conference schedule with Indiana State (13-9, 1-2 MVC) at Duffy Bass Field next weekend (March 27-29).
