WILMINGTON, N.C. - Indiana State baseball completed the sweep of the Hughes Brothers Challenge Sunday afternoon with a 10-0 shutout victory of Iona at Brooks Field. The Sycamores allowed just one run on the weekend while outscoring UNCW, Marshall and Iona 15-1 over the three-game stretch.
 
Pitching was once again outstanding for Indiana State as the team improved to 6-0 on the season. Right-hander Tyler Whitbread made his second start of 2019 and tossed a career high eight innings while allowing just one base hit in the game. Whitbread (1-0) was efficient on the mound, needing just 76 pitches to retire 23 of the 25 Iona batters he faced. The Camlachie, Ontario native struck out one Iona batter and walked one as he garnered his first win of the season.
 
Though the Sycamores finished with just six base hits on the day, ISU took advantage of 11 walks and five hit-by-pitches en route to scoring 10 runs. The Sycamores struggled early, hitting into a pair of double plays in the second and third innings before finally plating a run in the fourth.
 
Indiana State was able to load the bases after Chris Ayers drew a walk and Hunter Lewis and Jake Means were each hit-by-pitch. That allowed senior Luke Fegen to send a ball to left field and bring in a run on a sacrifice fly.
 
The Sycamores would get another run in the fourth from Spencer Wiskus, who made his first start behind the plate. The Iowa City, Iowa native singled to right field for his first career hit in an Indiana State uniform, scoring Lewis from second. ISU would tack on one more run on a throwing error to jump out to a 3-0.
 
The bases would be loaded again in the sixth inning after two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Ayers picked up the RBI walk to extend the Sycamore lead to 4-0 before the hot-hitting first baseman Lewis cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to left to make it 7-0. Clay Dungan connected on his first home run of the season with an opposite field shot in the seventh before Roby Enriquez doubled in two more insurance runs in the ninth.
 
Lewis finished the game with three RBI, a double and a trio of walks for the Sycamores. Enriquez had a double and two RBI to go with a walk and a HBP while Dungan walked twice, scored two run and hit a home run for the Trees.
 
Evan Giles pitched the final inning for the Sycamores, striking out one of the four batters he faced.
 
Michael Untracht (0-1) was charged with the loss on the mound for the Gaels after allowing two runs, four walks and a hit in three and two-third innings.
 
The Sycamores are set for a pair of midweek games to close out their eight-game road swing to open 2019. The team will travel to Cullowhee, North Carolina to faceoff with Western Carolina Tuesday and Wednesday. Both games are slated for a 4 p.m. ET first pitch.    
 
FIND US ON SOCIAL
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.