Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
DALLAS – The Illinois State baseball team held leads in both games of a Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader with Dallas Baptist, but the Patriots were able to rally late in both contests to sweep the twin bill Friday at Horner Ballpark. Dallas Baptist won by scores of 7-6 and 11-4.
Dallas Baptist improved to 17-9 overall and 2-0 in Valley play. Illinois State dropped to 7-17 and 0-2.
Game 1
Dallas Baptist 7, Illinois State 6
Noah Sadler went 4-for-5 and Matt Walker struck out a career-high six batters, but Dallas Baptist's Camden Duzenack provided the biggest moment in the first game of Friday's doubleheader, as his three-run home run in the eighth inning gave the hosts a win in the opener.
Illinois State boosted its lead to two runs in the top of the eighth inning, but Duzenack's homer to left field lifted the Patriots in the opener. DBU closer Seth Elledge worked around a leadoff double in a scoreless ninth.
Dallas Baptist grabbed an early lead with a two-out, two-run double from Garrett Wolforth in the bottom of the first inning, but the Redbirds tied it the next half inning with a solo home run from Noah Sadler and an RBI single up the middle from Joe Butler.
The Patriots pushed back ahead in the bottom of the second when Camryn Williams plated Luke Bandy with a run-scoring groundout. The Redbirds tied the game in the fifth with an RBI single from Sadler, and took the lead moments later with a sacrifice fly from Jordan Libman.
Dallas Baptist knotted it back up with an RBI single from Duzenack in the sixth, but the Redbirds went back ahead on Joe Aeilts' two-out RBI single through the left side of the infield in the top of the seventh. ISU added another run on a two-out RBI double from Sadler in the eighth.
The Patriots took the lead for good, however, on Duzenack's homer in the bottom of the eighth.
Aeilts led off the ninth for Illinois State with a double to right field, but two lineouts and a groundout ended the game.
Sadler (4-for-5), Aeilts (4-for-4) and Butler (3-for-5) accounted for all but one of the Redbirds' 12 hits.
Walker allowed three runs over four innings to start the game for the Redbirds. Jack Landwehr was charged with one run over the next 2.2 innings. Mitch Vogrin was tagged for three runs, all via Duzenack's home run. Jeff Lindgren faced three batters without recording an out before David Meade struck out the final batter of the eighth inning to leave the bases loaded.
Game 2
Dallas Baptist 11, Illinois State 4
Dallas Baptist took the lead with four runs in the sixth inning and added four more insurance runs in the eighth to secure the doubleheader sweep.
Four Patriots tallied multiple hits in the game, including Austin Listi, who homered twice in the nightcap, as well as Duzenack, who homered in both games of Friday's twin bill.
Listi staked the hosts to an early lead with a first-inning solo home run. The Redbirds tied it in the second on a Sadler RBI single and took the lead in the third on Collin Braithwaite's RBI double, but the hosts evened the score at 2-2 with another solo shot from Listi in the fourth.
Owen Miller provided a two-run home run in the top of the fifth to push Illinois State back ahead. Listi drove in his third run of the game in the bottom half of the inning – this time with a sacrifice fly – to bring the Patriots back within one.
Duzenack tied it up with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Luke Stratman and Jameson Hannah followed with RBI singles, and Stratman later scored on a balk to make it a 7-4 lead for the hosts.
A two-run double from Matt Duce, an RBI groundout from Duzenack and a run-scoring triple from Evan Sandmann concluded the scoring in the eighth inning.
Redbird starter Brady Huffman allowed two runs over the first four innings, while striking out four. Trevor Cross suffered the pitching loss after allowing four earned runs over one inning of work. Mitch Weis tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Michael Sebby walked the first batter of the eighth inning before giving way to Braden Niksich, who was charged with three of the four runs in the Patriots' final inning at the plate.
The Redbirds return to Horner Ballpark Saturday for the finale of the three-game series at 2 p.m. Links for live video and stats are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdBaseball on Twitter for live updates and more.
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