LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Illinois State baseball team was clicking on all cylinders on Saturday at Gary Hogan Field as four players totaled a pair of RBIs to lead the Redbirds to a 14-5 win over Little Rock.
Illinois State (2-3 overall) was led by junior Noah Rabin who finished 3-for-5 on the day with 2 RBIs and a pair of doubles.
The Redbirds also saw multiple hits from sophomore Shai Robinson, redshirt junior Judah Morris, and senior Luke Cheng as the 'Birds led 10-2 after five innings.
Sophomore Tyrelle Chadwick conceded just two runs over five innings to the Trojans (3-3 overall) in his second start of the 2024 season.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ Â
As the Trojans got on the board first in the 1st inning, ILS respond in a big way as the Redbirds responded with a four-run 3rd inning, including a two-RBI single from Rabin, to lead 4-2 after three innings.
In the 4th inning, it would be three more Redbird runs crossing the plate as the lead grew to 7-2 for the 'Birds. ILS tallied the three runs off of: an RBI single from sophomore Daniel Pacella, an error by LR's second baseman, and an RBI double from Morris.
Illinois State added three more in the 5th inning, including a pair off the bat and a RBI single from Lawrence. In the 6th inning, the 'Birds tallied two more off a double from junior JT Sokolove and an RBI single by Cheng to make it a 13-2 ballgame.
The Trojans added their third run of the game off a solo homerun in the bottom of the 6th. The top of the 7th saw the 'Birds knock in a run with the bases loaded as junior Tyler Herron drove in Robinson for a 14-3 lead.
The Trojans scored the final runs of the afternoon off an RBI double in the bottom of the 7th as well as an RBI single in the 9th.
INSIDE THE BOX SCOREÂ
- The win marks ILS' first win against Little Rock since Feb. 2020, both coming at Gary Hogan Field.
- Freshman Matthew Donnison threw the final three innings for ILS, securing his first collegiate save
- Noah Smith and Tugg Hollandsworth made their first appearances for ILS in the 8th and 9th innings, respectively
UP NEXTÂ Â
Illinois State and Little Rock will wrap up the weekend on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. CT from Gary Hogan Field. The game will be on ESPN+.
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).Â
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