TERRE HAUTE, IN ? Junior left handed pitcher Michael Manus may have saved his best for his final appearance of the season, throwing the second complete game of the season for Indiana State in a 4-0 Sycamore victory over Illinois State in the first game of a double-header Friday.
In the second game, Indiana State jumped out to a 6-0 lead and then scored four times in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Redbirds 11-1 in a game called by the run-rule.
Indiana State (17-32 overall and 8-15 in the Missouri Valley Conference) and Illinois State (22-29 overall and 6-17 in the MVC) will play the final game of the series and of the season on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. (ET). Indiana State seniors will be honored in a ceremony at 12:45 p.m.
Manus, now 2-8 on the season, struck out 14 batters on the afternoon, becoming just the eighth Indiana State pitcher in the school's 112 year history of baseball to strike out 14 or more batters in a single game. Dan Lazar set the Sycamore record with 16 strikeouts in a game against Indiana on May 19, 1965.
The Sycamores scored all the runs they needed to support Manus in the fourth inning, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on four straight hits with one out. Chris Schmidt got the Indiana State offense untracked with a triple to right center, scoring on a single to right by Brady Shoemaker to put the Sycamores up 1-0.
Shoemaker stole second and then scored the second Indiana State run on a Brian Oliver double to right center. David Brumagin followed with a single to left to put runners at the corners but the Sycamores could not push over another run in the inning.
Indiana State built their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh. Brumagin led off with a single and then Brian Jett belted his third home run of the season, a two-run shot over the right field fence.
Manus allowed just three hits in the game and walked two.
Chris Schmidt had a triple and a single for the Sycamores with David Brumagin getting two singles, and Brady Shoemaker, Brian Oliver and Brian Jett had a single each.
In the second game, the Sycamores jumped out to a 3-0 led in the bottom of the first inning when Ryan Strausborger hit the first pitch he saw from Illinois State starter Eric Theisen over the right centerfield fence for a three-run home run, his third of the season.
Indiana State added another run in the second after back to back singles by Bronco Lafrenz and Gary King, and a walk to Brian Ramirez which loaded the bases. Chris Schmidt was hit by a pitch to force in the third Sycamore run of the game but Indiana State was not able to get anymore runs across.
The long ball provided two more Sycamore runs in the bottom of the fourth as Ramirez belted his third home run of the season, this one a long shot over the centerfield fence to score two.
After 14 scoreless innings, the Redbirds finally pushed over a run in the top of the sixth as Anthony Ruffolo walked, advance don a Kyle Cherney single and scored on a two-out single by Ronnie Clavird.
The Sycamores went back up 7-1 as they scored a single run in their half of the sixth. Schmidt hit a two-out single and then stole second, his 21st stole base of the season. The Indiana State senior was able to score on a single by Shoemaker.
In the bottom of the seventh, Oliver led off with a single and went to second as Lafrenz was hit by a pitch. Gary King followed with a single to load the bases but was put out at second as Brady Shoemaker hit into a fielder's choice. That did score Oliver from third to put Indiana State up 8-1.
After Ramirez walked, Schmidt hit into a fielder's choice with Lafrenz and Shoemaker coming around to score as the Redbird shortstop overthrew the Illinois State second baseman, the ball going all the way out into right field. Shoemaker was walked to load the bases and Brian Jett hit a deep fly ball to center that allowed Ramirez to score from third with the game ending run.
Matt Shelton (4-6) went six innings in earning the win, allowing a run on six hits. Brian Oliver came on to pitch the seventh for the Sycamores.
Brady Shoemaker had a home run and a single in the game while David Brumagin had a double and a single, Chris Schmidt and Gary King two singles each, Brian Ramirez a home run, and Ryan Strausborger and Brian Jett a single each.
