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Indiana State University Athletics

Estrella
3
Illinois ILL 10-9
4
Winner Indiana St. INS 8-12
Illinois ILL
10-9
3
Final
4
Indiana St. INS
8-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Illinois ILL 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 6 1
Indiana St. INS 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 8 4

W: Moss, Aaron (1-1) L: Liam McKillop (0-1)

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

Estrella connects on walk-off winner as Sycamores top Illinois in 11 innings

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Emil Estrella capped off a three-hit day with the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning and 10 Indiana State pitchers combined to limit Illinois to just six hits as the Sycamores topped the Illini, 4-3, on Wednesday night at Bob Warn Field.
 
Caleb Niehaus drew a leadoff walk against Illinois reliever Liam McKillop (0-1) and advanced to second on Colin Sander's sacrifice bunt. Jorge Cartagena drew a full count walk to put two runners on, but McKillop was able to get Carter Beck to foul out down the third base line setting the stage for Estrella.
 
The Indiana State (8-12) right fielder worked a full count before driving the ball hard down the third base line, past the diving Illinois (10-9) third baseman and into the left field corner. Niehaus crossed the plate for the game-winning run and the Sycamore dugout mobbed Estrella near second base in Indiana State's first walk-off win of the 2026 season.
 
The Sycamores had their chances late in the game as Indiana State had runners on first and third, none out in the eighth, while Caden Miller connected on a leadoff double to left in the bottom of the 10th to provide Indiana State scoring opportunities. However, the Illini bullpen shut down the Indiana State rallies with reliever Kyle Remington recording back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam in the 10th.
 
The Indiana State bullpen was effective throughout the game as the Sycamores utilized 10 different pitchers over the contest in a staff outing on the mound. Owen Roberts drew the start in a three-up, three-down first inning, while Breyllin Suriel, Jaxon Sparks, Trevor Fenters, Brady Banker, Ryan Karst, Carson Seeman, and Aaron Moss (1-1) all posted scoreless innings over their time on the mound.
 
Illinois struck first in the game on back-to-back solo home runs in the second inning, before Caden Miller answered with a two-run shot of his own in the fourth inning to tie the game up at 2-2. Emil Estrella added a solo home run in the sixth to put the Sycamores ahead, but Illinois utilized an Indiana State error to even the score at 3-3 in the top of the seventh on Collin Jennings' RBI single.
 
Emil Estrella had three of Indiana State's eight hits in the contest and added a double and home run in the Sycamores' win. Caden Miller and Carter Beck added two hits apiece with Miller's two-run shot early an equalize. Mason Roell added a single in the game.
 
Carson Seeman was effective in the bullpen for Indiana State as the right-hander worked scoreless frames in the ninth and 10th innings, striking out four batters while allowing one walk. Aaron Moss struck out both batters he faced in the top of the 11th inning after relieving Seeman in securing his first win of the season.
 
Kyle Schupmann had two of Illinois' six hits in the game and added a double in the loss. Will Johannes and Jack Zebig both homered, while Brayden Mazzacano tripled in the game.
 
Liam McKillop took the loss on the mound allowing the Estrella walk-off single while walking two batters in the inning. Sam Mommer worked the first 3.0 innings in the start, while Olivier Martel, Sam Reed, Reed Gannon, and Kyle Remington all saw time on the mound.
 
How They Scored
  • Illinois scored in the top of the second inning Will Johannes and Jack Zebig connected on back-to-back one-out solo home runs to put the Fighting Illini up 2-0.
  • The Sycamores evened the score in the bottom of the fourth as Caden Miller followed a leadoff walk issued to Emil Estrella with a two-run home run off the netting in front of the Indiana State scoreboard in right center to tie the game up at 2-2.
  • Emil Estrella put the Sycamores in the lead in the bottom of the sixth as he connected on a solo home run off the first pitch of the inning to put Indiana State ahead 3-2.
  • Illinois evened the game in the top of the seventh as Collin Jennings singled home Nick Groves to make it a 3-3 score heading into the stretch.
  • Emil Estrella connected on the walk-off RBI single down the third base line in the bottom of the 11th inning scoring Caleb Niehaus from second base to provide the final 4-3 scoring margin.
News and Notes
  • Caden Miller ran his on-base streak to 12 consecutive games following his walk in the bottom of the first inning. He finished 2-for-3 with two walks in the contest.
  • Emil Estrella and Carter Beck both recorded their team-leading seventh multi-hit games of the 2026 season.
  • Caden Miller added his team-leading fifth multi-RBI contest and his third home run of the season.
  • Emil Estrella's sixth-inning home run tied him with Nick Sutherlin for most on the team in 2026.
  • Indiana State recorded its first extra-inning win of the 2026 season on Wednesday night, moving to 1-3 in games played in extra frames on the year.
  • The Sycamores picked up their first win over Illinois in Terre Haute since the 2024 season when Indiana State topped the Illini, 5-4, on March 12, 2024.
  • Indiana State recorded its first extra-inning win over Illinois since May 2, 2023, when the Sycamores topped the Fighting Illini 5-4 in 13 innings at Bob Warn Field.
  • Emil Estrella's walk-off RBI single marked the Sycamores' first walk-off hit since Jackson Taylor connected on the walk-off RBI single in Indiana State's 11-1 (8) win over Murray State last season on April 26, 2025.
  • Indiana State's last extra-inning win came on April 8, 2025, when the Sycamores topped Purdue 9-8 at Alexander Field in 10 innings.
  • The Sycamores' last extra-inning walk-off win came back on March 30, 2024, when Parker Stinson slid home ahead of the throw on Dom Krupinski's RBI fielder's choice to give Indiana State the 9-8 win over UIC in the 11th inning.
Up Next
Indiana State continues its home stand and opens Missouri Valley play this weekend as the Sycamores host Bradley in a three-game series at Bob Warn Field starting Friday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m. All three games this weekend will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now
Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood.
 
Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed.
 
The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold.
 
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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