March 19, 2011
Game 1 Final Stats |
| Game 2 Final Stats
Post-Game Interview
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State starting pitcher Brad Sorkin was stellar on the mound in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader to lead the Redbirds (13-6) to a split over Austin Peay (9-9) at Duffy Bass Field. With the win, the Redbirds won the home-opening series 2-1 over the Governors and improved to 3-1 at home overall.
Sorkin (3-1) pitched a career-high eight innings and gave up just two runs on six hits while striking out four Governor hitters to earn the victory in game two. Ryan Camp closed out the game by striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to help the Redbirds win the three-game series. APSU starter Zach Toney (1-2) was saddled with loss, after giving up six runs on nine hits in four and two-thirds innings of work on the mound.
Zach Amrein powered the Redbirds to the win with three hits, three runs scored and three RBI in the win while Kevin Tokarski chipped in three hits and three RBI as well. Tyler McNeely rounded out a solid weekend at the plate with three more hits for ISU and Bryan Huff drove in a pair of runs to cap off the series.
ISU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a two-run single up the middle by Tokarski in the bottom of the second inning. After Austin Peay got one of those runs back in the top of the third inning on a RBI double by Greg Bachman, ISU came right back and scored three runs on three hits in the bottom of the third inning to extend the lead to 5-1. Huff drove in a pair of runs on a two-out single up the middle and Tokarski picked up this third RBI of the game when he drove in Chad Hinshaw on a single through the right side of the infield.
Both teams tacked on a run in the fourth to make the score 6-2 in favor of ISU, before Amrein hit a three-run home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the game away at 9-2 and give ISU the Saturday split.
Game one was a low-scoring affair, as both team's pitchers had solid days on the mound. ISU starter Dan Savas (2-1) gave up three earned runs in the first two innings and then settled down to allow just two hits over his final four innings of work, but suffered his first loss of the season. Redbird reliever Joe Claver was also solid, as he gave up just one hit and struck out three batters in three scoreless innings on the mound.
APSU starter Jeremy Dobbs (4-0) stifled the Redbird hitters and allowed just two runs, one of which was earned, on five hits while striking out 11 Redbird hitters to earn the win. Chuck Edlin pitched scoreless inning in relief and Ryne Harper picked up his first save of the season in one and a third innings to close out the victory for the Governors.
The Governors struck early on a two-out RBI single off the bat of John Hogan that scored Michael Blanchard in the top of the first inning. Savas then got in a bit of a jam in the top of the second inning, after allowing a pair of two-out walks to Shayne Martin and P.J. Torres. Blanchard then came to the plate and tripled into the right center field gap to increase the APSU lead to 3-0 after two innings of play.
The Redbirds got a run back in the bottom of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Tokarski that scored Hinshaw from third base. ISU then added another run in the bottom half of the seventh inning to cut the APSU lead to just one at 3-2. With one out in the inning, Josh Colon singled and later advanced all the way to third base on a failed pickoff attempt by Dobbs that sailed over Hogan's head at first base and rolled into the right field bullpen. Matt Mirabal then drove in Colon with a RBI single to right field to bring the Redbirds within a run.
ISU threatened again in the eighth inning with runners at first and third base with two outs, but Hinshaw grounded out to end the inning and the Redbird went down in order in the ninth to close out the game.
Illinois State returns to action Tuesday, March 22, when it travels to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Lambert Field.
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