Redbirds Outslugged by Illinois in 7-1 Defeat

Box Score | Bo Durkac Interview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team collected 10 hits but scored just one run in Tuesday's 7-1 defeat to Illinois at Illinois Field.

Illinois (14-16) scored seven runs on 12 hits off of six Redbird pitchers. Jason Goldstein went 3-for-4 with four RBIs to pace the Fighting Illini offense.

Illinois State (8-23) hit the ball hard through five innings coming up with nine hits. The Redbirds were 7-for-11 with two outs after the fifth inning, but were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. All 10 of Illinois State's hits were singles.

Illinois jumped on top of the Redbirds in the first inning with two runs off of Illinois State starter Jacob Hendren. To start the first, Hendren walked the first two batters and then gave up a two-run double to Goldstein.

Hendren, who was on a pitch count, was pulled after two innings of work. In the third inning, Mitch Vogrin came on in relief and gave up an infield single to start the inning. He then short-hopped a throw into first base on a pickoff attempt, allowing the runner to advance to second. Goldstein made the Redbirds pay for the mistake with an RBI single to left field. Illinois led 3-0 after three innings.

In the top of the fourth, Jean Ramirez and Ryan Hutchinson led off the inning with back-to-back singles. When Hutchinson singled into center, Illinois' center fielder missed the cutoff man, which allowed both runners to advance into scoring position. Jared Hendren provided the Redbirds' lone run of the game with a groundout to first base to score Ramirez.

The Fighting Illini added two insurance runs in the fifth with a two-out triple. Then, in the sixth, Goldstein drove in his fourth run of the game and later scored to put Illinois on top, 7-1.

Illinois State managed just one more hit the rest of the way and dropped its second game of the season to Illinois.

Hendren (1-7) took the loss for the Redbirds after going two innings and giving up two runs. Andrew Mamlic (2-6) earned his second win of the season with six innings of work and just one earned run.

Owen Miller went 3-for-4 to lead three Redbirds with multiple hits. Joe Kelch and Hutchinson both collected a pair of hits in the loss.

The Redbirds will hit the road this weekend to Terre Haute, Indiana, for their first Missouri Valley Conference road series against Indiana State. First pitch for Friday's tilt is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.