NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball program earned the series victory over Belmont to open conference play with a 10-4 win over the Bruins on Saturday afternoon and improved to 16-7 in 2026.
The Redbirds tallied 13 hits in the victory, marking the eighth straight game Illinois State has recorded 10 or more hits. Four Redbirds notched two or more hits, with all four hitters tallying at least one extra-base hit.
Junior Graham Mastros recorded a team-best three hits, including a double in the contest for Illinois State. Mastros has tallied two or more hits in six of the last eight games.
Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes added a pair of hits and three RBIs in the win to record his third straight game with at least three RBIs.
Junior Luke Stulga tallied his 12th multi-hit game of the season with two hits, including a double. Stulga has had two or more hits in four of the previous five games for Illinois State.
Graduate Payton McHarg notched two hits with a double and a home run in the win to tally his fourth multi-game hit of the season.
Junior Michael Addari earned his third victory of 2026, after equaling a career-best 5.0 innings pitched and tallying a new career-high seven strikeouts in the win. In his previous two starts, Addari has limited opponents to a combined two runs, and currently leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a 1.04 ERA this season.
The Redbirds trailed early after Belmont took advantage of a passed ball to take a 1-0 lead at the top of the second inning. In the bottom half of the frame, Illinois State responded as a leadoff single from Senior Josh Outlaw set up McHarg's two-run blast to give the Redbirds a 2-1 lead.
After claiming the advantage early in the frame, the Redbirds grew their lead following a sacrifice bunt from Graduate Camden Karczewski, who scored Freshman Brayden Zilis to make the score 3-1. Moments later, Illinois State added another run as Bakes scored Senior Nolan Barry on an RBI double to extend the Redbird lead to 4-1.
A frame later, the Redbirds worked runners into scoring position following a leadoff walk from Outlaw and a double from McHarg. Freshman Brayden Zilis delivered his first collegiate RBI with a sacrifice fly to score Outlaw to push the Illinois State lead to 5-1.
After a pair of scoreless innings, the Redbirds added five runs in the sixth inning to improve their advantage and make the score 10-1. In the frame, Bakes and Stulga delivered a pair of RBIs, with a single and a double. Junior Ryan Bakes tallied the fifth Redbird run in the inning with an RBI single to move the Illinois State run total to double digits.
In the top of the seventh, Belmont pulled two runs back with a two-run home run to cut into the Redbird lead and make the score 10-3. An inning later, Belmont walked with the bases loaded to add another run to its tally and move the score to 10-4. Despite the late effort from Belmont, Illinois State tossed a scoreless ninth frame to secure the win.
NOTES
- The Redbirds extended their winning streak to eight games with the victory. In the win streak, Illinois State has recorded at least 10 hits in all contests and has tallied double-digit hit totals in 11 of the last 13 games.
- Illinois State's pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts in the contests. In seven of the last eight games, the Redbirds have tallied double-digit punchout totals.
- With the win, Illinois State has captured the conference series opening victory over the Bruins for the second consecutive season.
- Junior Michael Addari matched his career-longest outing with 5.0 innings pitched in the victory. Addari has tallied five or more innings pitched in his last four appearances.
- Addari added seven strikeouts in the win, setting a new career-high strikeout total in a single game for the Libertyville, Ill. native.
- Redshirt Sophomore Brayden Bakes extended his hitting streak to a career-best eight games and has tallied two or more hits in the last seven games.
- With a pair of hits, Bakes became the first Redbird to surpass 15 games with at least two hits this season.
- In the victory, Bakes tallied three RBIS to record his third consecutive game with three or more RBIs.
- Graduate Camden Karczewski extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games with a base hit in the contest.
- Junior Luke Stulga added his 12th multi-hit performance of the season with a pair of hits in the win. Stulga has tallied two or more hits in four of the last five games.
- Junior Graham Mastros notched a trio of hits, including a double, to record his 12th multi-hit game of the campaign. Mastros has recorded two or more hits in six of the last eight games for the Redbirds.
- Stulga and Mastros each improved their reached base streak to a team-best 14 games.
- Graduate Payton Mcharg recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the season with a home run and a double in the contest. McHarg's second-inning home run marked his second of the season.
- Freshman Brayden Zilis tallied his first collegiate RBI with a sacrifice fly in the third inning.
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