CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Indiana State baseball saw its five-game winning streak come to a close Wednesday night after falling to Illinois, 5-2 on the road. After the Sycamores tied the game at two in the seventh, the Illini scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to claim the win and split the season series.  
 
A pair of seniors put Indiana State (32-10) on top early in Champaign. Clay Dungan led off the game with a double to the gap in left before coming home two batters later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Romero Harris.
 
Michael Massey helped the Illini (29-15) tie the game in the bottom of the first when he blooped a one-out single to center. Zac Taylor worked a walk to put Massey in scoring position before the Illinois cleanup hitter, Kellen Sarver drove in the tying run with a single to left.
 
Zach Frey made his first appearance of the season for the Sycamores in the third inning on the mound. The right-hander worked around a two-out single in the third while recording his first career strikeout at ISU. The junior made the first two outs of the fourth before Grant Van Scoy doubled and Will Buraconak entered to get the final out.
 
Dane Tofteland singled up the middle in the second and that would be the last baserunner for the Sycamores as Illini starting pitcher Quinn Snarskis retired eight-straight up until Tofteland worked a walk in the fifth. Tofteland was put in motion on a hit-and-run with two outs, but a ground ball to shortstop ended the inning.
 
Illinois picked up a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth from Michael Michalak before ISU went to the bullpen for Austin Cross. A ground ball moved Michalak to third before Massey sent a ball to right-center, deep enough to bring in the go-ahead run for the Illini.
 
Jake Means reached on a hit-by-pitch before Max Wright worked a six-pitch walk to put a baserunner in scoring position for the first time since the first inning. The Sycamores loaded the bases with no outs after Tofteland took a ball off his helmet on a bunt attempt. Chris Ayers delivered the game-tying run with a deep fly ball to center, scoring Means from third.
 
The Sycamores would not get another run across as a check-swing bounced just in front of the plate and a ground ball to first ended the threat.
 
After a leadoff walk to Van Scoy, the Sycamores went to the bullpen for Jake Ridgway who issued a four-pitch walk to Michalak to put the Van Scoy in scoring position. Illini leadoff man Ben Troike would send the go-ahead run to the plate with a single to center to give Illinois a 3-2 lead.
 
Indiana State looked to be out of the inning with a deep fly ball to center but the ball was misread and dropped art the wall for a two-run triple to extend the Illini lead to 5-2.
 
The Sycamores threatened in the eighth after Harris reached on a wild pitch after striking out and Means was hit-by-pitch, but Wright flew out to center to end the inning.
 
In what was the final midweek game of the season for the Sycamores, ISU used seven arms in the staff day. Geremy Guerrero went two innings for the Sycamores in his midweek start, allowing two hits and a run. Frey went one and two-third innings, allowing two hits and striking out one Illini hitter.
 
Both Austin Cross and Austin Moralis tossed perfect fourth and fifth innings, respectively. A walk issued by Max Klein (0-2) would come around to score in the seventh, tagging the freshman with the loss. Jake Ridgway was tagged for two runs in two innings of work as the Illini scored two runs on a triple lost in the lights in center.
 
Snarskis (1-1) went five complete for the Illini, allowing just three base hits to the 18 Indiana State batters he faced. The right-hander struck out one and issued just one walk as a sacrifice fly was the lone run he allowed in the first.
 
ISU was outhit 7-3 in the ballgame with last hit coming in the second inning.  
 
Next Up
Indiana State will travel to Normal for a weekend series with Illinois State. A pivotal series between the Redbirds and Sycamores as both squads sit atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings at 9-3.
 
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.