May 9, 2009
Final Stats
PEORIA, Ill. - A potential game-tying home run by Tyler McNeely clanged off the top of the wall in the eighth inning, the second of three consecutive hits for Illinois State, but the Redbirds fell just short in a 5-3 loss to Bradley at O'Brien Field Saturday.
McNeely's double off the right center field fence set up an RBI single by Mike Stalowy to pull the Redbirds (20-20, 10-11 MVC) within one run, but the Braves (16-28, 3-14 MVC) surrendered just the single tally in the frame and kept Illinois State at arm's length throughout the night. Stalowy and Collin Salzenstein, who singled to start threat in the eighth, finished the game with two hits each.
Corey Maines started the game on the mound for Illinois State and labored through four innings. Maines was tagged for nine hits and four runs - three earned - and walked four batters. Bradley scored three runs on four hits in the second inning, including a run scoring single by Matt Fritz. Fritz finished the contest a perfect 4-for-4 and also scored two runs.
The Redbirds used three doubles in their first four at-bats of the fourth inning to push across a pair of runs and cut the Braves lead to one, but Bradley added a run in the bottom half of the inning and led 4-2 after four complete.
Kenny Long entered the game in the fifth inning and kept the Redbirds close with three scoreless innings of relief. Long retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced before surrendering a leadoff triple to Fritz in the bottom of the eighth, immediately after Stalowy had helped the Birds trim the deficit to one again. Fritz later scored on a single by Tommy Fitzgerald to make it 5-3.
Joe Bircher scattered eight hits over 7.1 innings for Bradley. He struck out five and walked just one batter before being lifted for Brad Altbach. Altbach pitched the final 1.2 innings and worked around a leadoff double by Anthony Ruffolo in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Illinois State's Ryan Copeland (3-5, 3.45 ERA) will take the mound Sunday in the series finale with the Braves at 1 p.m. and will face Collin Brennan (0-4, 6.99 ERA).
