NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State defeated Indiana State by a final score of 10-7 on Thursday evening at Duffy Bass Field during the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Sycamores scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 7-3 lead, however the Redbirds responded with five runs in the home half to take the lead, and eventually won the game. ISU will take on Dallas Baptist tomorrow at 3 p.m. in a battle of 2-0 teams at the tournament.
Top Hitters
Pitching Breakdown:
- Matt Walker (Starter): 5.1 IP, 4 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's
- Mitch Vogrin: 0.0 IP, 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB
- Jack Anderson (W, 3-0): 0.2 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER
- Colton Johnson: 1.2 IP, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
- Jacob Gilmore: 1.1 IP, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's
Quote from Coach Holm on the team's comeback
"I told them early in the season, I do not know if we could have come back there with this being such an intense game. It shows signs of the team itself growing a lot, and being mentally tough enough to sit there and be able to come back to string things together. The biggest thing was guys were not trying to do too much at the plate."
Scoring Breakdown:
- The Sycamores struck first in the top of the first inning on a groundout to third base that plated one run.
- Joe Butler tied the game with one swing in the bottom of the second inning on a solo shot to left-center field to tie the game at one run apiece.
- In the bottom of the fifth, Huggins singled up the middle of the diamond to bring home Zouras. Later, Parola hit a sacrifice fly to left field that brought home Huggins. The Redbirds scored two runs on three hits in the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
- The Redbirds made two errors in the top of the sixth inning that allowed the Sycamores to score six runs on just two hits in the inning. Indiana State led 7-3 after the top half of the sixth.
- In the bottom half of the sixth, Jack Butler started a rally by hitting a double to right field to bring home Aeilts and Joe Butler. Huggins would single up the middle to score Zouras once again. Then, Rave would double to left-center field to score Jack Butler and Huggins to regain the lead, 8-7.
- In the bottom of the eighth inning, Libman singled to shortstop, but a throwing error on the play allowed Rave and Parola to come home and gave the 'Birds a 10-7 lead. Gilmore recorded the final four outs of the game to pick up the save.
Up Next:
The Redbirds return to action against Dallas Baptist tomorrow afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. For updates on Illinois State Baseball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (@isuredbirdbaseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
###
