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NORMAL, Ill. – Indiana State broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the top of the ninth inning and Sycamore closer Austin Conway nailed down his 11th save of the season to secure a 4-3 win and a series sweep for the visitors Sunday at Duffy Bass Field.
Three Indiana State pitchers limited the Redbirds to just five hits, the final a one-out single from Ryan Hutchinson that put runners on first and second base for the Redbirds with one out in the bottom of the ninth. But John Rave struck out and Owen Miller flied out to center to end the game.
Miller and Joe Butler collected two hits each for the Redbirds, while Hutchinson tallied the Redbirds' only other hit in the game. Miller extended his hitting streak to 12 games and his RBI streak to nine games.
Redbird starter Matt Walker cruised through four scoreless innings before running into trouble in the fifth, where he allowed three runs, though only one was of the earned variety. Jack Landwehr followed with 3.2 sparkling innings in relief, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out five. Mitch Vogrin suffered the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, an RBI single from Tony Rosselli.
Illinois State (12-34, 1-14 MVC) grabbed an early lead Sunday when Miller doubled in Hutchinson in the bottom of the first inning. The Redbirds added another run in the fourth when Anthony Sanchez drew a walk and scored one pitch later when Butler tripled past Indiana State's left fielder.
Indiana State (24-20, 10-5) seized the lead, however, in the fifth. Dane Tofteland plated the first run on a single down the left-field line before a Redbird fielding error allowed two more to cross home plate.
The Redbirds tied it back up with a two-out double down the right-field line from Miller in the bottom of the seventh, but the Sycamores went ahead for good with Rosselli's run-scoring single in the ninth.
The Redbirds return to action next weekend with a three-game series at Valley foe Southern Illinois. 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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