EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In a game that spanned nearly 22 total hours and two different days, the Illinois State Redbirds fell 9-2 against the host Evansville Aces in a game that ended on Friday afternoon.
The game began on Thursday; however, a strong storm front halted the game, which was resumed on Friday.
Tyson Hays and Collin Braithwaite were each 2-for-4 for the Redbirds, as Hays and John Rave each scored a run in the contest.
The Redbirds jumped out quickly, using a trio of hits from Rave, Hays, and Braithwaite – the latter's single scored Rave – and Illinois State led 1-0 after a half of an inning.
Evansville rallied with two runs in the bottom of the first inning, and scored three times in the third to push ahead 5-1. With two runners on and one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, the game was halted due to rain, and resumed 19 hours later. As the game resumed, the Aces scored two more runs to push ahead to a 7-1 lead.
Illinois State got a run back in the top of the eighth inning when freshman designated hitter Hays hit a leadoff home run over the wall in left field to cut into the deficit at 7-2.
Evansville rallied quickly with two runs in the bottom half of the eighth to close the scoring in the game for the 9-2 Redbird loss.
The teams will meet for a pair of games on Saturday, May 19 starting at noon to close out the 2018 regular season.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
