MACOMB, Ill. – Illinois State baseball was back in action Wednesday, as the Redbirds topped Western Illinois by a final of 7-4 at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.
Junior Carter Monke got the midweek start, going 4.1 innings with six strikeouts for the Redbirds (18-12).
Sophomore Daniel Pacella had three hits and an RBI as the 'Birds mustered 10 hits against the Leathernecks (6-22).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Redbirds got on the board first with an RBI single from Pacella, plating sophomore Luke Lawrence in the top of the 1st.
Illinois State would add another run in the top of the 2nd as Lawrence would drive in junior Daniel Contreras with an RBI single down the right field line.
Western Illinois scored their first run in the bottom of the 3rd with an RBI single of their own, making it 2-1 ILS.
After a Greg Nichols triple to center field, Lawrence plated his second RBI of the day in the 4th with a single up the middle to make it a three-run game, 4-1.
The Leathernecks would explode for three runs in the bottom of the 5th to make it a one-run game, 5-4.
In the top of the 7th, a bases loaded wild pitch and throwing error by the Leatherneck catcher would plate two 'Birds to see the score read 7-4 after six and a half innings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Junior MacCallan Conklin threw a scoreless 5th inning.
- Freshman Matthew Donnison recorded 3.0 innings of scoreless relief.
- Lawrence has now reached based in 16 straight games
UP NEXTÂ Â
Illinois State is scheduled to travel for a weekend series in Evansville from April 12-14 against the Purple Aces. All three games will be shown via 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
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
