NORMAL, Ill. - Locked in a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning, the Illinois State (21-11) baseball team pushed two runs across home plate in the bottom of the inning against Webster (22-4) to come away with a 3-1 win Sunday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field.
A trio of Redbird pitchers combined to allow just one run on seven hits to help ISU improved to 6-2 at home this season. Dan Savas started the game and allowed three hits in two innings of work while striking out four Gorloks. Dylan Craig came on and gave up just two hits and struck out four batters over the next three innings and Jeremy Rhodes (3-3) pitched the final four frames, allowing one un-earned run on two hits and striking out three to pick up the win.
Daniel Dwyer led the Redbirds at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a run scored. Mike Hollenbeck drove in the first run of the game for the Redbirds and finished 1-for-3 with a walk and Jack Czeszewski and Brock Stewart each drove in a run in the game.
Hollenbeck got the Redbirds on the scoreboard first with a RBI single in the bottom of the third inning. Dwyer got things started with a one-out single and after a pop out to the catcher by second baseman Paul DeJong, he advanced to second base on a balk by Smith. Hollenbeck then drove a single through the right side of the infield into right field, which allowed Dwyer to score from second base for the first run of the game.
The two teams remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning, when the Gorloks manufactured a run and took advantage of a throwing error to tie the game. Catcher Zach Allam led off the inning with a single and then advanced to second base, when Matt Wollnik laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached as Rhodes' throw pulled Brian Rodemoyer off the bag for the throwing error. Both runners then advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Corey Lasky and Allam came around to score on a RBI ground out by third baseman Ryan Hall later in the inning.
The game did not stay knotted very long, as back-to-back one-out doubles by Logan Leverett and Stewart gave the Redbirds a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning. ISU tacked on another run, courtesy of a bases-loaded walk by Czeszewski that plated Stewart, to make the score 3-1 headed to the ninth inning. Rhodes proceeded to pitch a scoreless top half of the ninth to secure the victory for the Redbirds.
The Redbirds will have Monday off, before hosting in-state foe Illinois on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on Walking Taco Day at Duffy Bass Field.
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