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Redbirds Take Series Opener From Bears, 7-1

Redbirds Take Series Opener From Bears, 7-1

Redbirds Take Series Opener From Bears, 7-1

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State left-hander Brent Headrick dominated Missouri State for six innings, and the Redbird offense scored the first six runs of the contest en route to a 7-1 decision over the Bears in the opening game of the two clubs’ Missouri Valley Conference series at Duffy Bass Field Friday evening.

Headrick (3-3) struck out a career-best 12 hitters, walking two and scattering five hits in his 6.0 shutout innings, before Jack Anderson and Mitch Vogrin combined to lock down the victory by permitting just one MSU run over the final three frames. The three hurlers combined to strike out 15 Bears, matching a season single-game high for ISU pitching.

Illinois State (19-14, 3-1 MVC) touched up MSU pitching for 12 hits, six of which went for extra bases. Derek Parola went 3-for-4, and John Rave doubled, homered and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Redbird attack, which put the game on ice with a four-run sixth inning.

After Headrick and MSU starter Jake Lochner combined to keep the game scoreless through three innings, the Redbird offense came to life in the fourth, using a leadoff single by Joe Butler to set the stage for a two-run rally. With one out, Nick Zouras’ double plugged the gap in left-center to chase Butler all the way home from first. After Lochner froze Jack Butler on a called third strike for the second out, Aidan Huggins came through with a bloop single into right-center to plate Zouras with the second run of the inning.

ISU, which recorded five doubles in the contest, used one of those two-baggers to ignite its sixth-inning outburst, as Gunner Peterson started the inning with a gap shot to left-center. A throwing error on a Zouras sacrifice attempt put runners on the corners, before a 6-4-3 double-play grounder brought home a run.

Huggins, the No. 9 hitter in the ISU batting order, delivered another key two-out single, this one starting a string of four-consecutive Redbird hits. Rave followed with a chopper through the right side that settled in shallow left for a double, allowing Huggins to score from first for a 4-0 ISU lead.

The Redbirds were not finished, however. Parola greeted new MSU hurler Zach Gibbs with a run-scoring hit, and Jordan Libman followed with a run-scoring double to cap the rally and stretch the ISU lead to six runs.

Gibbs would provide one of the few bright spots for the Bears, striking out a career-best four hitters over the final 2 1/3 innings—also a career-high for the sophomore right-hander.

MSU’s offense finally broke through in the seventh, plating its first run of the day against Anderson. Jack Duffy, who extended his career-best hit streak to 10 games with a fifth-inning single, registered his second-straight hit with one out, before back-to-back singles by Drew Millas and Joey Polak brought in the first MSU tally.

Anderson avoided further damage, as Redbird right-fielder Joe Aeilts reeled in a fly ball off the bat of Dakota Kotowski and initiated a 9-4-3 double play to end the Bears’ threat.

Rave completed the scoring with his two-out solo shot in the bottom of the eighth, stopping Gibbs’ string of six-consecutive batters retired.

Lochner (2-1) suffered his first setback of the season after allowing five runs on nine hits in his 5.2 innings. The senior lefty struck out five and walked one.

Duffy, Polak and Ben Whetstone each turned in two-hit performances, accounting for six of MSU’s nine hits on the night.

Up next, the Bears (11-22, 4-3 MVC) and Redbirds will finish their series with a 1 p.m. (CDT) doubleheader Saturday.

Courtesy of: Missouri State Athletics Communications

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