NORMAL, Ill. – Sophomore Daniel Pacella hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, lifting the Redbirds to a 4-3 win over Indiana State (27-8 overall, 10-3 MVC) Friday at Duffy Bass Field.
Junior Joe Husak provided another strong showing out of the Redbird bullpen, getting the win after posting a scoreless ninth inning to help the 'Birds (20-15 overall, 8-5 MVC) keep pace in the MVC standings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A one-out RBI groundout in the bottom of the 1st by senior Auggie Rasmussen plated the first run for Illinois State, as sophomore Luke Lawrence came home.
The Sycamores responded with a trio of home runs in the top of the 4th to take a 3-1 lead.
The Redbirds clawed back, scoring off an RBI double from junior Tyler Herron in the 6th inning prior to an RBI single in the 8th from senior Shaydon Kubo to tie the game at 3-3.
The Sycamores went down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, the first Redbird would go down looking before Pacella made his way to the plate.
Facing a 1-2 count, Pacella crushed a hanging curveball for his eighth home run of the year, giving the 'Birds their first walk-off home run in 14 years.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Lawrence has reached base in 21 straight games
- Friday is the first walk-off home run for Illinois State since 5/1/10 (Ryan Court v. Wichita State)
- Friday marks the first Redbird win over Indiana State since April 2, 2022
UP NEXTÂ Â
Illinois State and Indiana State continue the weekend series with first pitch at 3:00 p.m. CT Saturday.
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.
