PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley (23-11, 7-5) outlasted Illinois State in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, 13-8, but the Redbirds (18-20, 4-8) avoided a sweep in the weekend Missouri Valley Conference baseball series between the Interstate 74 rivals by pulling out a 2-1 win in the nightcap on another blustery day at O'Brien Field.
In Sunday's first game, the two teams combined for 21 runs, 35 hits and seven errors. Bradley appeared to take control by grabbing an 8-1 lead in the fourth inning. Seven consecutive Braves reached safely on six hits and a walk with two outs in the fourth, leading to a 7-run outburst. Ryan Kenny delivered the inning's big blow with a blooper to short centerfield that turned into a 3-run double when Redbird centerfielder Kris Jenkins could not make diving catch.
Illinois State steadily chipped away at the deficit, however, and pulled to within one run in the eighth inning. With the Redbirds within 9-7, Bradley sophomore closer Michael Christl inherited a bases-loaded, one-out situation. After giving up a single to the first hitter he faced, shortstop Ryan Anetsberger, Christl got out of the jam by getting Jenkins to ground into an inning-ending double play.
After the Braves plated four runs in the home half of the eighth, Christl retired the Redbirds in order in the ninth to earn his school-record fifth save of the season. Bradley starter Derek Goins (4-4) earned the win by allowing three runs, two earned, in his 5 2/3 innings of work. The win was the 18th of Goins' five-year Bradley career, moving him into a tie for eighth on the school's all-time list with Kevin Priebe, who also won 18 games from 1994 to 1997.
While the hitters dominated Sunday's first game, the pitchers were the story of the series finale. In particular, Bradley junior right-hander Collin Walker (5-1) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but wound up suffering his first loss of the season, thanks in large part to a sixth-inning error.
With Bradley ahead 1-0, Illinois State third baseman Blake Schoonover broke up the no-hit bid by beating out a slow roller to third base to open the sixth. Walker got the next hitter, Lee Fischer, to hit a potential double play ball, but Braves shortstop Adam Uscicki allowed the ball to scoot between his legs, putting runners at first and third with no outs. Fischer stole second, then went to third when Chris Frank scored Schoonover with a sacrifice fly. Catcher Jay Molina followed with a single through the left side of the infield to drive home what proved to be the winning run.
Bradley threatened to pull out the series sweep with a ninth-inning rally. Justin Carr drew a leadoff walk from reliever Brandon Gale. Eric Theisen took over for Gale, and after getting Uscicki to ground out, he walked Ryan Kenny to put runners at first and second with one out. Theisen came through with his third save of the season, though, by getting pinch-hitter Pat Ryerson to hit into a game-ending double play.
The loss snapped Bradley's five game overall winning streak and Walker's five-game individual winning streak. The three Redbird hurlers also kept the Valley's top hitter, Brad Canada, off the bases in his four at-bats. Canada had reached safely via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in 35 consecutive games, dating back to the second game of last year's four-game series at Illinois State. The ISU pitchers were less successful at keeping Bradley third baseman Paul Rice off base. Rice was a scorekeeper's decision away from a 5-for-5 performance in the first game and he went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles in the nightcap.
