Box Score
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team took a one-run lead in the top of the ninth inning but Southern Illinois scored two runs in the bottom to earn a walk-off win and a series sweep Sunday at Itchy Jones Stadium. Southern Illinois won the Missouri Valley Conference thriller by a 10-9 score.
Illinois State (12-37, 1-17) tied the game with an Owen Miller sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, and then took the lead with a two-out RBI double from Derek Parola.
But Southern Illinois (26-26, 9-9) rallied with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as Ryan Smith singled on an 0-2 count to plate Addi Fuggit and tie the game. Greg Lambert then provided the game-winner, a double down the left-field line on the next pitch from Redbird reliever Jeff Lindgren.
Illinois State was led offensively by Parola and Nick Zouras, who tallied three hits apiece. Parola plated two runs, while Zouras drove in three. Collin Braithwaite and John Rave added two hits each.
The Salukis struck first Sunday when Dyllin Mucha singled up the middle to score Nick Hutchins in the second inning. They added three more in the fourth when Connor Kopach singled through left side just moments before Smith plated two more with a single to make it a 4-0 lead for the hosts.
Parola tallied Illinois State's first hit of the game in the fifth inning when he led off with a single. Joe Butler then walked and Zouras plated both he and Parola with a double to cut Southern Illinois' lead in half.
The Redbirds then took the lead in the sixth, thanks to consecutive run-scoring hits from Parola, Butler and Rave, giving the Redbirds' a brief 5-4 lead. But Southern Illinois tied it in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Sabo took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Redbird error.
The Salukis took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run, ground-rule double from Mucha and a sacrifice fly from Kopach, giving the hosts a three-run cushion.
Illinois State got two runs back in the eighth, thanks to a Butler sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single from Zouras. The Redbirds then took the lead with two more in the top of the ninth on Miller's sacrifice fly and Parola's RBI double.
But Southern Illinois ended things in the bottom of the ninth, first tying the game on an RBI single from Smith before Lambert provided the game-winner.
Redbird starter Colton Johnson allowed one run over the first three innings. Trevor Cross allowed four runs (three earned) over the next three innings. Jack Landwehr was charged with three runs in the seventh inning, before giving way to Lindgren, who was tagged with the loss after allowing the game-tying and game-winning runs in the ninth.
The Redbirds return to Duffy Bass Field for their final home series of the season, against 2017 MVC regular-season champion Missouri State, beginning Thursday. 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.
