SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For the second time in as many days, Illinois State baseball (13-11 overall, 3-2 MVC) faced a late-inning deficit, but would not be rattled as the Redbirds secured their third straight MVC win with a 8-5 result over Missouri State Saturday at Hammons Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Redbirds got on the board first with a four-run 5th inning, led off by a straight line drive home run for redshirt junior Judah Morris. The Redbirds would tack on two more with an RBI single from senior Greg Nichols before a throwing error by the Bears third baseman allowed Nichols to come home and make it 4-0.
The Bears responded immediately with a home run of their own in the bottom of the 5th to make it 4-1.
Then, in the 7th, it was the home team taking a late lead off a no-doubt three-run home run to right field as the score read 5-4 in favor of Missouri State.
However, much like Friday night, the Redbirds did not go down quietly as they rallied to score four times in the top of the 9th for the victory.
Sophomore Luke Lawrence got the Redbirds rolling with a three-run home run to give ILS a 7-5 lead before a balk by the MOST pitcher gave ILS their eighth run of the afternoon.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Junior Noah Smith led the way at the plate for ILS, going 3-for-4
- Sophomore Thomas Harper collected the win, going 2.0 innings with two strikeouts to close the game.
- Missouri State falls to 10-14 (1-4 MVC) with the loss.
UP NEXTÂ Â
Illinois State and Missouri State conclude the series at 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
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
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
