Mar. 31, 2014
Illinois state vs. Eastern Illinois | April 1 |
Location: Normal, Ill. (Duffy BassField- 1,500) |
Tuesday 4/1: 3:00 p.m |
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NORMAL, Ill. - After beginning the season with 25 games away from home, Illinois State (17-8, 4-2 Missouri Valley Conference) hosts Eastern Illinois (7-20, 2-7 Ohio Valley Conference) Tuesday afternoon in the 2014 home opener at Duffy Bass Field. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m. and both parking and admission are free.
Pitching Probables
Tue.
Will Headean (Illinois State) LHP 0-1, 10.61 ERA
Jake Haberer (Eastern Illinois) RHP 0-1, 6.89 ERA
The Opposition: Eastern Illinois Panthers (7-20, 2-7 Ohio Valley Conference)
• Eastern Illinois University is a public university that is located in Charleston, Ill. It was established in 1895 and currently enrolls 11,651 students.
• The Panthers are guided by 20th-year head coach Jimmy Schmitz. He is a 1979 graduate of Wilmington College.
• Indiana State won three of our games versus Illinois State last season.
• The Redbirds are 82-88-1 all-time versus Eastern Illinois and the two teams first met in 1907.
Last Time Out
The Redbirds claimed a Missouri Valley Conference series-win over the weekend at Indiana State. Illinois State won Friday, 5-2, dropped Saturday's contest, 9-2, and defeated the Sycamores, 11-1, in seven innings Sunday.
Dan Savas fired his second-consecutive complete game to lead Illinois State to a 5-2 victory over Indiana State Friday night at Bob Warn Field. Savas has now won 17-consecutive decisions and has thrown consecutive Valley complete-game wins. Savas (7-0) allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks. The victory was his 20th-career win as a Redbird.
Indiana State scored nine-consecutive runs and topped Illinois State, 9-2, Saturday afternoon at a cold and rainy Bob Warn Field. Dylan Craig (3-1) suffered his first lost of the season. In his shortest outing of the spring, Craig allowed six earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Brad Lombard (5-0) fired 6.1 innings for the Sycamores and allowed only one run on five hits. Illinois State pitching surrendered five walks and Indiana State tallied 12 hits in the game.
Jeremy Rhoades fired his first-career complete game and struck out a career-high 12 to guide Illinois State to an 11-1 seven-inning, run-rule victory at Indiana State Sunday afternoon. Rhoades (2-2) allowed only an unearned run on three hits with one walk in his third start this spring. Kurt Kudrecki (3-3) was chased from the game after 3.1 innings and suffered the defeat. He allowed nine runs, five of which were earned, on six hits, with three strikeouts and five walks.
Dennis Colon matched a career-high with four RBI for Illinois State. Paul DeJong added three RBI and Mason Snyder tallied two RBI. The Redbirds clubbed seven hits and drew eight walks in the win.
Rhoades retired the first 10 batters he faced before Cody Zimmerman reached on an infield single with one out in the fourth. Rhoades worked five 1-2-3 innings and tallied two strikeouts in six-of-the-seven innings he was on the mound. Additionally, Rhoades struck out at least one batter in each inning.
Home Sweet Home
After beginning the season with 25 games on the road, Illinois State will open the home portion of its 2014 schedule with a four-game home stand this week. The Redbirds will host Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, then welcome Dallas Baptist for a three-game series at the weekend. The Redbirds won two games earlier this season versus Western Illinois at the Corn Crib in Normal, Ill., but have not yet played on their home field. Illinois State went 22-7 last spring at Duffy Bass Field. Parking and admission will remain free for all home contests this spring.
Savas Hits 17
Redbird starter Dan Savas (7-0) won his 17th-consecutive decision Friday as Illinois State topped Indiana State, 5-2, at Bob Warn Field. Savas, who went 10-0 in 2013, has won seven of his starts this spring. The Preseason All-American is 17-0 in his last 22 decisions and hasn't lost since 2011. He has tallied seven complete-game wins during the streak.
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