Ashley Dickerson
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State baseball team (16-11, 0-0 MVC) battled in-state rival, Butler (8-17, 0-0 Big East) on Friday night for 14 innings before saying good night with a grand slam, walk-off home run from junior Hunter Owen to earn the 13-9 victory.
The Sycamores took an early lead, scoring two in the first inning, before Butler battled back to sneak across one in the top half of the second inning, cutting the Sycamores' lead to 2-1.
Indiana State answered in the bottom of the fourth as they put up four runs on four hits to cushion the lead to a comfortable 6-1.
Scoring again in fifth inning, junior Tony Rosselli led things off with a bunt single, and eventually scored as Owen reached on a fielder's choice, extending the lead to 7-1.
Settling into a comfort zone, the Sycamores scored one in the sixth and seventh innings to get to nine, but allowed Butler to score two in the sixth, four in the unlucky seventh inning, and two more in the top of the eighth to knot the score at 9-9.
The two teams then extended the game another five innings before the Sycamores defeated the Bulldogs 13-9.
In the bottom of the fourteenth inning, Rosselli led off with a hit by pitch, followed by a walk for senior Andy DeJesus, and then another hit by pitch for senior Andy Young. Butler loaded the bases before dishing up a first-pitch fastball to one of the nation's top hitters, Owen. Owen wasted no time, as he swung at the first pitch, sending it well over the left field wall.
This 13-9 defeat in 14 innings marks the third time this season that the Sycamores have won in walk-off fashion, with the most recent being a dropped third strike walk-off against Illinois on Tuesday.
The Sycamore pitching staff combined to strike out 17 Bulldog batters. In six innings of work, junior lefty Justin Hill struck out 7, as junior Jeremy McKinney also struck out seven in his five innings before sophomore Ethan Larrison came in to close out the night cap facing seven batters and striking out two.
On the offensive side, senior Kaden Moore went 4-for-7 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Rosselli led off the fourth, fifth, and fourteenth innings getting on base for the Sycamores. Rosselli finished 3-for-4 with one walk, one hit by pitch, and scoring three runs. Young finished with two hits, a walk, a hit by pitch and two RBIs, while scoring three of the Sycamores' runs. Rounding out the offense was Owen who tallied two hits, two walks, four runs scored, and five RBIs, four of which came from the walk-off, game-winning bomb.
The Sycamores as a team finished with 17 hits, nine walks, and three hit by pitches on the night. Ethan Larrison picked up his first win of the season on the mound.
Indiana State returns to Bob Warn Field on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET to continue the series with Butler, before heading to Indianapolis on Sunday to wrap-up the weekend at 1:00 p.m. ET. For more on Sycamore Baseball, visit the Sycamore Baseball Facebook and Twitter.
