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Indiana State University Athletics

Stinson
11
Indiana State INS 31-10
21
Winner Illinois ILL 26-15
Indiana State INS
31-10
11
Final
21
Illinois ILL
26-15
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Indiana State INS 1 0 3 6 0 1 0 11 10 1
Illinois ILL 2 6 6 0 4 2 1 21 17 0

W: Swartz, Jake (2-2) L: Pruitt, Jacob (1-2)

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

Sycamores and Illinois split season series after Illini take Tuesday night contest

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois connected on seven home runs and held off multiple Indiana State rallies throughout the contest as the Fighting Illini topped the visiting Sycamores on Tuesday night at Illinois Stadium, 21-11.
 
The Sycamores (31-10) rallied back from a 14-4 deficit with a six-run fourth inning sparked by Parker Stinson's grand slam, but Illinois (26-15) responded with a counterpunch as Cal Hejza homered twice and Ryan Moerman added a grand slam among his three home runs on the day as Illinois and Indiana State settled for a season split of the series following Tuesday's game.
 
Indiana State took the first game of the series in Terre Haute courtesy of a 7-6 win at Bob Warn Field, but the Sycamores were unable to keep the pressure on the Fighting Illini in the contest held in Champaign as Illinois consistently kept players on the base paths connecting on 17 hits in the win.
 
Luis Hernandez connected on a pair of RBI doubles in his first two at-bats on his way to a three-hit day, while Stinson homered twice and drove in a career-high seven RBIs as Indiana State fell to 5-2 against Big Ten competition on the year. Randal Diaz and Dominic Listi also drove in runs, while Listi scored three times in the loss.
 
Jacob Pruitt (1-2) took the loss after going the first 1.2 innings as Indiana State sent eight pitchers to the mound on Tuesday night. Kyle Cortner, Jacob Spencer, Max McEwen, Brayden Lybarger, Cole Gilley, Cameron Holycross, and Aaron Moss all saw time on the mound as the staff combined for nine strikeouts and seven walks.
 
Moerman powered Illinois with four hits, including three home runs, and connected on nine RBIs in the win. Hejza added a pair of home runs, while Coltin Quagliano and Connor Milton also homered in the contest.
 
Jake Swartz (2-2) worked 3.0 innings in relief to pick up the in on Tuesday night as the right-hander allowed four hits and three runs while striking out two. Sam Reed went the first 2.1 innings in the start, while Julius Sanchez and Korey Bunselmeyer also pitched in the contest.
 
How They Scored
  • Luis Hernandez put the Sycamores on the board early in the top of the first inning with a double to left center scoring Dominic Listi to give Indiana State the 1-0 lead.
  • Cal Hejza connected on a solo home run and Camden Janik scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first to put Illinois ahead 2-1.
  • Hejza and Ryan Moerman both homered to highlight a six-run bottom of the second inning for Illinois to put the Fighting Illini up 8-1.
  • Hernandez connected on an RBI double scoring Listi and Parker Stinson followed with a two-run home run to right center in the top of the third inning to cut the deficit down to 8-4.
  • Moerman capped a six-run bottom of the third inning for Illinois with a grand slam to put the home team ahead 14-4 after three innings.
  • Randal Diaz drew a bases-loaded walk and Listi connected on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth inning, before Stinson capped the frame with a grand slam as Indiana State plated six runs to cut the margin down to 14-10.
  • Coltin Quagliano's three-run home run capped a four-run bottom of the fifth inning for Illinois to put the lead at 18-10.
  • Stinson continued to produce for Indiana State driving in Listi with an RBI double in the top of the sixth to make it an 18-11 game.
  • Moerman's third home run of the game scored Janik in the bottom of the sixth inning to put Illinois ahead 20-11.
  • Connor Milton provided the final run with a walk-off solo home run off the batter's eye in the bottom of the seventh.
News & Notes
  • Parker Stinson became the fourth Sycamore to post a two-homer game in the 2024 season after hitting a two-run shot in the third inning and a grand slam in the fourth.
  • Stinson's 12th and 13th home runs of the season helped the senior outfielder join Mike Sears (Mar. 8 at Florida A&M, Mar. 31 vs. UIC), Luis Hernandez (Mar. 15 at Xavier), and Adam Pottinger (Apr. 14 vs. Bradley) with multi-homer games this year.
  • Stinson connected on Indiana State's seventh grand slam of the 2024 season and his second of the year in the six-run fourth inning. He previously cleared the bases back on March 3, 2024, in the first inning of the series finale at Southern Miss.
  • Josue Urdaneta extended his on-base streak to 30 consecutive games with a single in the fourth inning. He finished the day 1-for-3 with a run scored.
  • Urdaneta joins Adam Pottinger (36 games, 2023) as the only two players in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era to post 30-game on-base streaks over the course of a single season.
  • Parker Stinson recorded Indiana State's seventh game with five-plus RBIs in the 2024 season and his second of the year after driving in seven RBIs on Tuesday night. He tied Adam Pottinger (7 vs. Bradley, Apr. 14) for the most by a Sycamore this season.
  • Stinson's seven RBIs were a career-high for the senior outfielder surpassing his previous mark of five set back on March 3 at Southern Miss.
  • Randal Diaz extended his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games following his leadoff single in the sixth.
  • The Sycamore pitching staff surrendered seven home runs to Big Ten home run leader Illinois on Tuesday night marking the most homers given up by ISU since Indiana State gave up six last season on February 25, 2023, against Northeastern down in Port Charlotte, Fla.
  • Indiana State scored six runs in a single inning for the 10th time in the 2024 season on Tuesday night.
Up Next
Indiana State returns home to start a six-game home stand with a Missouri Valley weekend series against Belmont over May 3-5. First pitch in the Friday opener is set for 6:30 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Among Friday's game day festivities include a postgame fireworks show sponsored by Country Financial. Promotional giveaways include the fourth set of the ISU Baseball Trading Cards sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi, and Forest Baseball T-Shirts will be given away to Forest members at the game.
 
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