NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team mustered six hits in the Redbirds' 10-2 loss to Valparaiso on Saturday at Duffy Bass Field.
Fourth-year junior Derek Salata provided 6.2 innings on the mound, allowing two earned runs for the Redbirds (13-16 overall, 2-3 Missouri Valley Conference).
Fourth-year junior Connor Olson recorded his first home run as a Redbird, extending ISU's streak of having at least one home run to seven games.
Valparaiso (12-18 overall, 1-4 MVC) snapped a seven-game losing streak.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A solo shot gave the Beacons a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning before a pair of errors yielded two runs for Valparaiso in the 6th inning.
The Redbirds rallied in the 6th inning but came away with just one run as fifth-year Jake McCaw recorded a bases-loaded walk to plate second-year freshman Tyler Woltman.
An RBI double prior to a two-run home run put the Beacons up, 6-1, through seven innings. VU added two more runs in both the 7th and 8th innings.
Olson homered just inside the right-field foul pole with two outs in the 9th inning.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Salata pitched into the 6th inning for the seventh time in 2022 and into the 7th inning for second time.
- McCaw extended his on-base streak to 21 games.
- The Redbirds have lost 46-straight games when trailing at the conclusion of the 6th inning.
UP NEXT
Illinois State is scheduled to host Valparaiso on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT in the series' rubber match.
For the latest updates on Illinois State Baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
