NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team kept it close, but would never lead, as the Redbirds dropped the series opener to Bradley by a final of 6-5 on Friday at Duffy Bass Field.
A home run from sophomore Graham Mastros and junior Daniel Pacella provided key runs as the Redbirds (18-17 overall, 9-4 MVC) battled back from an 4-1 deficit to ultimately tie the game in the 7th.
The Braves (6-27, 2-11 MVC) would hit back-to-back home runs in the 8th for the one-run victory.
Top Hitters:
Pitching Breakdown:
- Thomas Harper: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB
- Tresdon Rybarczyk: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's
- Matthew Donnison (L, 3-2): 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
- Joe Husak: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Scoring Breakdown:
- Bradley pulled ahead early, scoring a run in the bottom of the 1st with an RBI single
- Kyle Gibson tallied an RBI single in the 5th to knot the score at 1-1
- The Braves scored off a passed ball and two-run home run in the bottom of the 5th to retake the lead at 4-1
- Mastros knocked out home run no. three of the year in the 6th to trim the margin to 4-3
- Pacella tied the game in the 7th with a solo shot to make it 4-4, his 11th home run of the year
- Outlaw gave ILS the lead in the 8th with an RBI single for the 5-4 advantage
- Back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the 8th allowed Bradley to take a 6-5 lead for the game one victory
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Pacella has reached base in 27 straight games
- The Redbirds move to 9-3 at home this season
UP NEXT
Illinois State and Bradley return to Duffy Bass Field for a Saturday doubleheader to end the series. First pitch on Saturday is set for 1 PM.
For the latest updates on Illinois State Baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
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