FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Illinois State baseball team knocked off second-ranked Arkansas, 3-2, in front of more than 10,000 fans on Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
After the Redbirds (1-0) jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one inning, a key 7th-inning RBI double by sixth-year senior Aidan Huggins proved to be the critical blow as the Razorbacks (0-1) mustered just a pair of 5th-inning solo shots against the Redbird pitching staff.
Third-year sophomore Ryan Cermak had three hits while fifth-year junior Jake McCaw recorded a 1st-inning RBI single.
HOW IT HAPPENED
McCaw singled through the left side to plate Huggins before an Arkansas balk scored Cermak.
Third-year sophomore Jordan Lussier retired the first four batters he faced but was forced to exit the game after being struck in the back of the head by a 103 MPH line drive. Lussier left under his own power and is in good health.
Fifth-year senior Colin Wyman came in, escaping the 2nd-inning jam. Wyman cruised through the 4th inning but allowed a pair of solo home runs in the fifth inning.
Fifth-year junior Jared Hart, the winning pitcher, posted two scoreless innings despite hitting his first batter and walking the second.
A 7th-inning double down the left field line by Huggins scored sixth-year senior Kyle Soberano to put the Redbirds up, 3-2.
Both fourth-year junior Kolton Scherbenske and third-year sophomore Erik Kubiatowicz threw 1-2-3 innings to close out the 8th and 9th innings, respectively.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Redbirds handed Arkansas their first loss in a home opener since 1994.
- The game was the first time ISU has ever opened against a ranked opponent and the first time the 'Birds have opened with a Power Five game since 2004 (win at Louisville).
- The win marks the second-highest ranked opponent have beat in program history (#1 Vanderbilt in 2019).
- Illinois State has now won back-to-back games at Arkansas after winning, 8-7, on 3/3/2020
QUOTES FROM FOURTH-YEAR HEAD COACH STEVE HOLM
General: "Big win--we played really well. We pitched and played defense. I thought the biggest thing was how we handled our [Jordan Lussier, starting pitcher] getting hit in the head. We didn't panic, we didn't lose focus--it kinda killed the whole stadium for a while ... Being able to regroup there is a sign of being an older club."
On first inning: "We lined out twice. I thought we could've put a really, really crooked number up there. I think [the two line drives that were caught] kept them in the game for little while - if both those balls go through and they're chasing five or six, that might change it quite a bit. Credit to them - they got down by two and hung in there."
On start to season: "That's as good as we're gonna start - especially when your Friday goes out in the second inning. Huge innings out of Colin Wyman."
Update on Jordan Lussier after he was hit in back of the head by 103 MPH line drive: "He was in the dugout after. As scary as that it is, it looks to be a pretty good situation right now."
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