Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State
trumped Bradley's two, 2-run innings with a pair of 3-run uprisings en route to
a 7-5 Missouri Valley Conference baseball victory Saturday evening at Duffy
Bass Field. The host Redbirds (26-19,
14-3 MVC) clinched a series victory against their Interstate 74 rivals for a
third consecutive season.
Illinois
State jumped on top in the first inning when Ryan Court clubbed a 3-run home
run off Bradley starter Joe Bircher (4-5).
The Braves took advantage of a Redbird error and an RBI single by Brian Martin to pull to within 3-2 in the third inning, but the hosts touched Bircher
for three more runs in the fourth to get all the offense they needed.
Bradley
got a sacrifice fly from Kevin Sullivan and a run-scoring sacrifice bunt from
Phil Kaiser in the fifth, then pulled to within 6-5 in the sixth when Bloomington
native Mike McMillan doubled to lead off the frame and eventually scored on a fielder's
choice. The Redbirds limited the
sixth-inning damage, however, by turning an inning-ending double play.
After
Illinois State added an insurance run in the eighth, Matt Fritz tried to start
a 2-out rally with a single to right, but Ryan Copeland got Rob Elliott to fly
out to end the game.
Seven
Bradley players earned base hits Saturday and four Braves drove in runs. Kevin Tokarski (2-5) and Zach Amrein (2-4)
paced Illlinois State's 9-hit attack.
Bradley
will try to salvage one win in the 3-game series when the teams meet in the
weekend finale Sunday at 1 p.m. at Duffy Bass Field.
