Hall, Patriots Earn 7-1 Win Over Redbirds

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NORMAL, Ill. – Dallas Baptist starting pitcher Darick Hall provided all the support he needed by himself, as the Patriot starter launched a three-run home run in the top of the first inning Saturday to stake the visitors to an early lead they did not relent, en route to a 7-1 win over the Illinois State baseball team at Duffy Bass Field.

Hall went 2-for-4 with four RBIs from the plate, while doing his part from the mound as well. The right-hander allowed just one run on five hits, while striking out five over six innings, to earn the pitching win.

Dallas Baptist (20-10, 2-0 MVC) grabbed an early lead Saturday when Hall hit his Missouri Valley Conference-leading 12th home run of the season, a three-run shot to left field, in the top of the first. The Patriots added an unearned run in the third when Daniel Sweet singled in Luke Stratman after a Redbird error kept the inning alive.

Illinois State (8-22, 0-2) got a run back in the bottom of the third when Derek Parola singled and moved to third when Sean Beesley doubled down the left-field line. Daniel Dwyer then plated Parola on an RBI groundout.

The Patriots came back with three in the top of the fourth when Jameson Hannah, David Martinelli and Hall provided run-scoring hits to chase Redbird starter David Meade.

Neither team scored the rest of the way as Hall and reliever Landon Wilson stymied the Redbird bats. Wilson pitched the final three innings to earn the save.

Four Illinois State pitchers combined on 5.2 scoreless innings of relief. Mitch Vogrin, Jeffrey Barton, Jeff Lindgren and Lucas Hall all posted scoreless outings out of the Redbird bullpen to finish out the game.

Beesley was the only Redbird hitter to reach base twice, as the senior outfielder doubled and walked.

Illinois State returns to Duffy Bass Field for the series finale with Dallas Baptist at 12 p.m. Sunday. Admission to all Illinois State home baseball games is free, and links for live video, audio and stats for this weekend's game can be found at GoRedbirds.com. Fans can also receive live updates from the games via Twitter, by following @RedbirdBaseball.

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