Box Score
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Illinois State baseball team came up one run short in a midweek nonconference game at Notre Dame, falling to the Fighting Irish by a 7-6 count at Frank Eck Stadium Wednesday afternoon.
Trailing by four runs after three innings, the Redbirds scratched out a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to get within a run of the hosts' lead. But Illinois State (10-25) was unable to score again over the final three innings.
The loss spoiled strong performances at the plate from John Rave (3-for-5), Zach Barnhart (2-for-4) and Owen Miller (2-for-5), and solid outings from a quintet of Redbird relievers, which held the Fighting Irish scoreless over the final five-plus innings.
Matt Walker, Michael Sebby, Jack Spicer, Nick Alvarado and Jack Bellinger kept Notre Dame (17-20) off the scoreboard over the final 5.1 innings.
The Redbirds got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning. Barnhart reached on an infield single and scored on an RBI double from Miller, just moments before Derek Parola delivered a two-run home run – his first homer of the season – to stake the Redbirds to a 3-0 lead. Notre Dame tied it up in the bottom of the first, however, on Ryan Lidge's three-run homer.
The Fighting Irish then took the lead in the second on Nick Podkul's sacrifice fly. They added three runs in the third on an RBI double from Lidge, and run-scoring singles from Nick Neville and Jake Shepski.
Illinois State got a run back in the fifth on an RBI single from Rave, and two more in the sixth on Barnhart's two-out, two-run triple, cutting the Notre Dame lead to one run at 7-6.
Neither team scored again. The Redbirds' best chance to even the score came in the seventh when a runner advanced to third with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning. Notre Dame closer Sean Guenther struck out the side in the ninth.
Illinois State starter Mitch Weis allowed seven runs over the first 2.2 innings Wednesday, before giving way to the Redbird bullpen. Â
The Redbirds return to action this weekend with a three-game series at Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley, beginning Friday. Links for live video, audio and stats are available at GoRedbirds.com, and fans can follow @RedbirdBaseball on Twitter for live updates and more.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
