MOREHEAD, Ken. – The Illinois State baseball team took an early lead Sunday at Morehead State in the finale of a three-game weekend series, however the Eagles (6-5) scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete the comeback as the Redbirds (5-4) dropped a tough 6-5 decision at Allen Field.
After a scoreless first inning, the Redbirds exploded for four runs in the top of the second to take an early 4-0 lead. Successive singles from Nick Zouras, Joe Aeilts and Ryan Hutchinson loaded the bases with no outs to lead off the inning. An RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Derek Parola forced home Zouras for the first run of the game, and was directly followed by a one-out single from Jordan Libman that brought Aeilts home. The Redbirds doubled their score on a single from Collin Braithwaite that plated two additional runs, making it a 4-0 lead for ISU.
ISU protected their four-run advantage until MSU's first run was forced home as a result of a walked batter with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third. Just when it appeared that the Eagles would add more runs, the Redbird defense stepped up to strand three runners and keep a 4-1 lead.
The score remained at 4-1 until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Eagles tied the game at 4-4. Connor Pauly touched home plate on an RBI single from Bryce Hensor. Directly after, the pairof Hensor and Braxton Morris scored after Eli Boggess laced an RBI double into left field, evening the game at 4-4.
A leadoff home run from Hunter Fain in the bottom of the eighth later gave the Eagles their first lead since the fourth inning in the opening game of the series and tacked on another later in the inning to take a 6-4 lead into the ninth inning. A RBI single by Miller drove in Libman in the top of the frame to cut the MSU lead to one at 6-5, but that would be all the offense the Redbirds could muster as they headed home with a series win after taking the first two games of the weekend.
The Redbirds will be back in action March 9, in the first of a four-game series at Washington.
