TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Illinois State took control of the game early on Saturday afternoon as the Redbirds topped Indiana State, 12-1, in seven innings in the 2025 regular season finale at Bob Warn Field.
 
Tournament Update: Indiana State earned the No. 8 seed at the Missouri Valley Baseball Championships and will play No. 5 Illinois State in a single elimination game on Tuesday, May 20. First pitch at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill. is set for 2:30 p.m. ET.
 
Nomar Garcia connected on an RBI single in the second inning and Jorge Cartagena drew three walks to lead the Indiana State (24-30, 12-15) offense on the day. Daniel Pacella went 4-for-5 with his third home run of the weekend, while Luke Stulga homered and drove in four RBIs for the Redbirds (27-26, 15-12).
 
Both teams limited pitching on Saturday afternoon with the game counting just toward seeding for both squads ahead of next week's 2025 Missouri Valley Baseball Championships.
 
The Redbirds took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning with Judah Morris and Brayden Bakes both driving in runs against Indiana State starter Aaron Moss (1-1). The Sycamores took one back in the second inning on Nomar Garcia's RBI single, but Illinois State responded with 10 unanswered runs to secure the series win at Bob Warn Field.
 
Four Sycamores recorded hits in the game led by Jackson Taylor's fourth inning double in the loss.
 
Moss worked the first inning with six different Indiana State pitchers spending time on the mound on Saturday. Ty Brooks worked 2.0 scoreless innings in relief to highlight the bullpen, while Carson Seeman, Colby Morse, Zac Laird, and Emil Estrella saw time on the mound in the game.
 
Pacella had four of Illinois State's 15 hits on Saturday afternoon in the winning effort. Bakes added three hits, while Stulga, Kyle Gibson, and Judah Morris all had multi-hit games on the afternoon.
 
Matthew Donnison (4-2) picked up the win after throwing 5.0 innings of scoreless relief in the contest. Carter Monke worked the first two innings before the early hook.
 
How They Scored

• Judah Morris and Brayden Bakes both connected on RBI singles in the top of the first inning scoring Kyle Gibson and Daniel Pacella to give the Redbirds the early 2-0 lead.
• Indiana State responded in the bottom of the third inning as Nomar Garcia followed Thomas Emerich's single with an RBI base hit of his own scoring Keegan Garis to make it a 2-1 ballgame.
• The Redbirds added three to their lead in the top of the fourth on Luke Stulga's three-run home run over the left field wall scoring Josh Outlaw and Shai Robinson to make it a 5-1 score.
• Illinois State made it 9-1 in the top of the fifth as Pacella (solo HR), Robinson (RBI double), Outlaw (RBI ground out), and Stulga (RBI single) all drove in runs over the inning.
• The Redbirds scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to provide the final 12-1 score. Pacella singled home Gipson for the first run, while Noah Smith scored on a wild pitch to make it 11-1. Bakes' RBI single up the middle plated Pacella for the final tally.

News & Notes

• Jorge Cartagena's hitting streak ended at seven games after going 0-for-1 with three walks on Saturday afternoon.
• Indiana State finished the home portion of the 2025 schedule with an 8-10 mark inside Bob Warn Field.
• The Sycamores honored the 2025 Senior Class of Jackson Taylor, Thomas Emerich, Zac Laird, Keegan Garis, Carlos Pena, and Gavin Morris in a pregame ceremony prior to first pitch on Saturday afternoon. 

Up Next
Indiana State heads to Normal, Ill. for the 2025 Missouri Valley Baseball Championships held at Duffy Bass Field on the campus of Illinois State University starting Tuesday, May 20.
 
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