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Indiana State University Athletics

Spencer
7
Winner Indiana State INS 8-8
3
Illinois ILL 7-6
Winner
Indiana State INS
8-8
7
Final
3
Illinois ILL
7-6
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Indiana State INS 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 13 0
Illinois ILL 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 9 1

W: Spencer, Jared (2-1) L: Vera, Alex (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Late rally sparks Sycamores to road win at Illinois

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Indiana State picked up its first win at Illinois since 2007 as Jorge Pereira and Keegan Watson sparked a four-run 10th inning to propel the Sycamores past the host Fighting Illini on Wednesday night, 7-3.
 
The Sycamores (8-8) loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10th inning after Illinois forced the game into extra innings following a three-run seventh. Luis Hernandez and Parker Stinson both reached on infield singles, while Mike Sears was hit by a pitch to put three on with none out.
 
After a foul out, Pereira worked a 1-1 count before getting hit by a pitch from Illinois (7-6) reliever Alex Vera (0-1) bringing home Joe Kido to give ISU a 4-3 lead. Two batters later, Watson followed with a fly ball double to right field clearing the bases and giving the Sycamores the 7-3 lead.
 
Spencer (2-1) struck out the Fighting Illini side in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. He posted five strikeouts over the final 2.2 innings and retired the final eight Illini hitters in closing out the win.
 
Josue Urdaneta, Parker Stinson, Mike Sears, and Grant Magill all posted multi-hit games on Wednesday evening as the Sycamores connected on 13 hits in the win. Stinson, Magill, and Watson all doubled, while five ISU players were hit by pitches in the contest.
 
Spencer took his second win of the season after shutting down the Illini over the final 2.2 innings. Brennyn Cutts picked up the no-decision on the start after going two scoreless innings and striking out three. Cam Edmonson, Jacob Pruitt, Zach Davidson, and Joey Hurth also saw time on the mound in relief. Overall, the ISU pitching staff tied a season-high with 14 strikeouts in the win.
 
Drake Westcott and Brody Harding posted multi-hit games for Illinois, while Cam McDonald added a two-RBI performance in the loss. Danny Doligale and Branden Comia both doubled for Illinois.
 
Vera took the loss after surrendering all four runs in the top of the 10th inning. Jake Swartz went the first 3.1 innings in the start, while Ryan O'Hara, Logan Tabeling, John Lundgren, TJ Constertina, and Jack Wenninger also saw time on the mound.
 
How They Scored
  • Indiana State took the 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning highlighted by a Grant Magill RBI double scoring Miguel Rivera. Seth Gergely added an RBI fielder's choice and a run scored as the Sycamores went ahead early.
  • Illinois tied the game up with three runs in the bottom of the seventh as Branden Comia doubled home Brody Harding and Cam McDonald singled in Comia and Danny Doligale to knot the score at 3-3.
  • After nearly going ahead in the ninth, the Sycamores took the 7-3 lead in the 10th as Jorge Pereira drew a bases-loaded HBP scoring Joe Kido and Keegan Watson connected on the bases-clearing three-run double to give ISU the final four-run margin.
News & Notes
  • Indiana State won its first game in Urbana-Champaign since the March 27, 2007, when the Sycamores topped Illinois, 4-0.
  • ISU ran its winning streak to six consecutive games marking the longest winning streak since the 2021 season when ISU topped Florida International (three games), Florida Gulf Coast, and Florida Atlantic (two games) from March 5-12.
  • ISU's five-game home run streak came to an end on Wednesday as the Sycamores failed to leave the park against Illinois.
  • ISU was hit by five pitches for the second time in the 2023 season tying the previous high set back on February 26, 2023, against Northeastern. The Sycamores have been hit by a Missouri Valley-leading 34 pitches so far this season.
  • Jared Spencer became the second ISU reliever to post his second win of the season joining Zach Davidson for the team wins lead.
  • ISU's 13 hits marked a season-high for the Sycamores.
  • The ISU pitching staff's 14 strikeouts tied a season-high (14 vs. Quinnipiac – Feb. 18, 2023)
  • ISU went to its third extra-inning game of the 2023 season and picked up their first win in extras after previously falling in 11 innings to both Iowa and Northeastern. 
Up Next
Indiana State is set to make its home debut this weekend with a three-game series against Michigan State at Bob Warn Field on March. 17-19. Keep up to date on GoSycamores.com or by following ISUBaseball on Twitter for any potential schedule changes.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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