MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Illinois State got multiple hits from five different batters and scored over five different innings before holding on late in a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Panthers.
Owen Miller was 3-for-4 at the plate, extending his hit streak to 16 games, and his streak of four consecutive games with multiple hits. Five others: John Rave, Jack Butler, Joe Aeilts, Jake McCaw, and Derek Parola each had two hits in the game. Rave scored twice, while Miller led the team with a season-high-tying three RBI's.
Jacob Gilmore picked up a no-decision in a four-inning start for the redshirt freshman, as he struck out five and scattered four hits with no walks. Dalton Harvey pitched an inning in relief, striking out one and allowing a single run, while Michael Sebby and Trevor Cross each pitched two innings, striking out four batters apiece, as Sebby picked up the win for the second-consecutive game to improve to 3-1 on the season. Illinois State's 14 strikeouts in the game tied a season-high, along with 14 strikeouts against Arkansas State in the season opener on Feb. 16, and against Southern Illinois on Mar. 30.
Illinois State wasted little time to reach the scoreboard in the game, as leadoff hitter Rave reached on a fielding error by the Panther pitcher, scoring a batter later on a Miller double to right field, putting the visitors ahead 1-0. Illinois State doubled its lead an inning later when Aeilts singled to open the second inning, was moved to second on a groundout, and scored on a Rave triple.
Milwaukee answered with two runs in the bottom of the third inning to tie the score at two runs apiece, and the score remained even until the top of the fifth inning.
Parola led off the fifth inning with a single, before getting moved ahead a base on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Rave. Miller followed with an RBI single to put Illinois State back ahead 3-2. The hosts answered quickly with a run in the bottom half of the inning, to re-tie the lead at three runs apiece.
In the seventh Miller drove in his third run of the game, chasing home Rave, before Collin Braithwaite scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth to put Illinois State ahead 5-3. Milwaukee threatened in the bottom of the ninth inning with a single, error, and hit by pitch to load the bases with two outs; however a Cross game-ending strikeout shut the door in the victory.
Illinois State closes its mid-week pair of games on Wednesday, May 2, when the team travels to DeKalb, Illinois, to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies, who won at home earlier today, beating Valparaiso 10-7. First pitch for the game against the Mid-American Conference foe is slated for 3 p.m.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
