Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team did something no other Missouri Valley Conference team has done this season as the Redbirds topped previously unbeaten No. 12 Missouri State in a MVC game Friday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field. Illinois State won by an 8-4 score.
Collin Braithwaite hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning and Redbird starter Matt Walker tossed six shutout innings to propel the Redbirds to victory.
Missouri State (37-15, 18-1 MVC) fought back late, with Hunter Steinmetz's three-run home run in the eighth cutting the Redbird lead in half. Two more Bears reached base in the eighth inning to bring the potential game-tying run to the plate, but Redbird reliever Trevor Cross got the Redbirds out of the jam with just one pitch. Cross stuck around for the ninth inning to pick up his second save of the season.
Friday's win marked Illinois State's first victory over a ranked opponent since Feb. 27, 2016, when the Redbirds beat then-No. 9 Oregon.
Missouri State, which was the only Division I team without a conference loss before Friday, saw its bid for an undefeated conference season come to an end. The team's conference-record 22-game winning streak was also snapped with Friday's loss.
Illinois State (13-38, 2-18) capitalized on a prime scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first inning of Friday's game. The Redbirds loaded the bases with no outs, and although Missouri State starter Dylan Coleman struck out the next two batters, Braithwaite belted a pitch over the left-field wall for a grand slam and a 4-0 lead.
The Redbirds added another run in the fifth when Owen Miller reached on a fielder's choice, stole second base, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Derek Parola sacrifice fly. They added another in the sixth on an RBI double from John Rave, making it a 6-0 advantage.
The Bears did not go quietly, though, as the nationally-ranked team trimmed the Redbird lead to three on Steinmetz's home run in the top of the eighth. But the Redbirds got two of those back in the bottom of the inning, on a run-scoring fielder's choice from Braithwaite and a squeeze bunt from Nick Zouras that allowed Joe Butler to score.
Missouri State plated one run in the ninth on an RBI single from John Privitera, but the game ended moments later when defensive sub Bryce Grimm made a ranging catch in left field on a hard-hit ball from Steinmetz.
Miller was the only Redbird with multiple hits Friday as the sophomore went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Braithwaite drove in five runs – four on his first-inning grand slam – and Ryan Hutchinson reached base three times on three walks.
Walker allowed just one hit and two walks over six scoreless innings in the best start of his collegiate career. He struck out four in his first pitching victory.
Reliever Jeff Lindgren pitched a clean seventh inning, but ran into trouble in the eighth, allowing two baserunners before Steinmetz's homer. Cross got the Redbirds out of the jam, however, and picked up his second save by working the ninth.
The Redbirds return to Duffy Bass Field Saturday for the Redbirds' series and regular-season finale. First pitch with Missouri State is set for 1 p.m., and Redbird seniors Danny Jackson, Jack Landwehr, David Meade and Mitch Weis will be recognized before the game. Links for live 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.
