Skip To Main Content

Indiana State University Athletics

Spencer
19
Winner Illinois ILL 23-15
8
Indiana State INS 20-20
Winner
Illinois ILL
23-15
19
Final
8
Indiana State INS
20-20
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Illinois ILL 0 0 0 7 8 1 3 19 20 0
Indiana State INS 3 0 0 2 3 0 0 8 11 0

W: Clark, Evan (1-0) L: Karst, Ryan (1-2)

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

Pena homers twice in midweek loss to Illinois

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Carlos Pena homered twice for Indiana State began their four-game home stand with a 19-8 loss to visiting Illinois on Tuesday evening at Bob Warn Field.
 
Pena connected on a pair of two-run home runs, going deep in both the second and fourth innings to highlight the Indiana State (20-20) offense as the Sycamores were able to find a measure of success against the Illinois. (23-15) pitching staff early. Keegan Garis added an early RBI double as the Sycamores built a 3-0 lead after the first inning.
 
Illinois broke the game open in the fourth inning with a seven-run frame and then plated eight more runs in the fifth to take control of the contest. Drake Westcott homered twice amidst his 4-for-4 effort from the plate and drove in six RBIs to lead the Illini offense that featured all nine starters hitting safely, scoring a run, and driving in an RBI in the win.
 
Thomas Emerich led Indiana State with a 3-for-4 game from the plate with a two-run single in the fifth inning. Pena homered twice, while Keegan Garis and Mason Roell added two hits apiece as the Sycamores recorded 11 hits overall in the loss.
 
Jacob Spencer was effective over the first 3.0 innings in the midweek start. The right-hander allowed three hits while striking out three and kept Illinois off the scoreboard handing a 3-0 lead to the Indiana State bullpen. Six Indiana State relievers combined to give up 17 hits and 19 runs while striking out one over the final 4.0 innings.
 
Evan Clark (1-0) took the win for Illinois allowing four runs and two hits over 2.0 innings of work. Christian Morel and Reed Gannon combined to work the final 3.0 innings of the contest allowing four hits and one run in securing the midweek run-rule victory.
 
How They Scored
  • Carlos Pena put the Sycamores on top early with a one-out, two-run home run over the right field wall scoring Carter Beck in the bottom of the first.
  • Two batters later, Keegan Garis connected on an RBI double to left center scoring Jeremy Martinez to make it a 3-0 Indiana State lead in the first inning.
  • Jack Zebig sparked a seven-run Illinois fourth inning with an RBI double scoring Collin Jennings, while Kyle Schupmann (RBI single), Drake Westcott (three-run HR), and Jennings (two-run double) drove in runs to put the Illini ahead 7-3.
  • The Sycamores answered with Pena's second home run of the game as the senior connected on a two-run shot over the wall in center field in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 7-5 game.
  • Illinois responded with eight more runs in the top of the fifth inning with seven different players driving in an RBI in the frame to build a 15-5 lead.
  • Indiana State plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth as Jackson Taylor scored Keegan Garis on an RBI ground out, while Thomas Emerich singled home Zack Henderson and Nomar Garcia to make it a 15-8 lead.
  • Jennings made it a 16-8 game with an RBI ground out in the top of the sixth scoring Nick Groves.
  • Westcott connected on a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning and Colton Quagliano scored on a wild pitch to make it an 18-8 lead.
News & Notes
  • Carlos Pena recorded his third multi-homer game of the 2025 season and Indiana State's sixth overall as a team on the year with his pair of two-run home runs on the evening.
  • Mason Roell went 2-for-2 and reached base safely in all four plate appearances.
  • Thomas Emerich recorded his second consecutive game with three or more hits after going 3-for-4 on Tuesday evening.
  • All nine Sycamores in the starting lineup reached base against Illinois. 
Up Next
Indiana State continues the home stand this weekend as the Sycamores return to Missouri Valley Conference play with a three-game series against Murray State over the April 25-27 weekend. First pitch on Friday night is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend.
 
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.
Print Friendly Version