NORMAL, Ill. – Indiana State seized control of the game early with a four-run first inning and Ryan Karst went into the ninth inning in the longest start of his collegiate career as the Sycamores topped host Illinois State on Friday night at Duffy Bass Field, 11-1.
 
Carter Beck homered twice and Emil Estrella also went deep as Indiana State (17-17, 7-3) pulled into a tie with Murray State atop of the Missouri Valley standings with Friday's win over Illinois State (21-13, 5-5).
 
The Sycamores struck first against Illinois State starter Thomas Harper (1-3) as Carter Beck, Emil Estrella, and Caden Miller connected on back-to-back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the first inning with Miller's base hit scoring Beck. Two batters later, Colin Sander connected on a two-run double off the wall in right center, and then Jeremy Martinez singled home Sander to put Indiana State in control early.
 
Ryan Karst (2-1) shut down the Redbirds after a one-out double in the first inning and then cruised through the second and third frames aided by a double play ball up the middle fielded by Nomar Garcia, while Jeremy Martinez threw out a Redbird attempting to steal.
 
Indiana State added to the lead in the top of the fourth as Carter Beck connected on his first home run of the game with a three-run shot over the wall in left field scoring Nomar Garcia and Mason Roell to give Karst the 7-0 lead.
 
Illinois State threatened for the first time in the bottom of the fourth as Louis Bussard singled and advanced to third on Karst's errant throw on a pickoff attempt. However, the Sycamore right-hander kept the Redbirds off the scoreboard as Nick Sutherlin settled under a popup in the infield to keep the shutout intact.
 
The Redbirds broke onto the scoreboard in the fifth inning on Josh Outlaw's RBI double to right center, but the Sycamores responded with Carter Beck and Emil Estrella's back-to-back two-out solo home runs in the eighth to extend the lead.
 
After Karst retired the Redbirds in the bottom of the eighth, the Sycamores added to the lead on Mason Roell's two-run double down the left field line to stake Indiana State to the 11-1 advantage.
 
Karst retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth inning, before the right-hander surrendered a walk and a single to end his appearance on the mound. The Indiana State starting pitcher turned the ball over to Hunter Small who recorded the final out on a fielder's choice grounder to Mason Roell at third as the Sycamores secured the series-opening win.
 
All nine Sycamores in the starting lineup reached base on Friday night led by Mason Roell and Carter Beck's pair of three-hit games from the plate as Indiana State connected on 13 hits overall in the win. Roell doubled and drove in two RBIs, while Beck went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored highlighted by his pair of home runs. Nomar Garcia reached base four times drawing three walks and was hit by a pitch.
 
Ryan Karst utilized 114 pitches in going a career-high 8.2 innings on the mound. The Sycamore right-hander allowed nine hits and one run while striking out four in the longest outing by an Indiana State starting pitcher since the end of the 2024 season.
 
Josh Outlaw and Brayden Bakes both doubled to highlight Illinois State's bats in the the lineup on Friday night, while Michael Carrano and Camden Karczewski both had multi-hit games.
 
Thomas Harper went 4.0 innings allowing seven hits and seven runs (six earned) in taking the loss. Jacob Culp and Joey Wilmoth combined for 3.0 scoreless innings, while Toby Schriefer and Kyle Manship worked the final two frames in relief.
 
How They Scored

• The Sycamores scored four runs in the top of the first inning to take the early lead over the Redbirds. Caden Miller sparked the scoring with an RBI single scoring Carter Beck, before Colin Sander doubled off the wall in right center to bring home both Miller and Emil Estrella. Jeremy Martinez capped the early scoring with an RBI single to center scoring Sander to make it a 4-0 game.
• Indiana State added to the lead in the top of the fourth inning as Carter Beck connected on a three-run home run over the left field wall scoring Mason Roell and Nomar Garcia to stretch the advantage to 7-0.
• Illinois State took one back in the bottom of the fifth as Josh Outlaw doubled home Camden Karczewski to cut it to a 7-1 game.
• The Sycamores connected on back-to-back home runs in the top of the eighth inning as Carter Beck (left center) and Emil Estrella (left) both went deep with two outs to extend the lead to 9-1.
• Indiana State capped the scoring in the ninth as Mason Roell connected on a two-run double down the left field line scoring both Nomar Garcia and Caleb Niehaus to provide the final 11-1 margin. 

News and Notes

• Carter Beck extended his hitting streak to 16 consecutive games on Friday night as the junior outfielder went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored.
• Carter Beck's fourth-inning three-run home run and his solo home run in the eighth inning marked his second multi-homer game of the season and gives him a team-high nine home runs on the year.
• Carter Beck and Emil Estrella connected on back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning marking the third time the Sycamores have gone back-to-back in the 2026 campaign and first since Mason Roell and Colin Sander connected on April 2 against UIC.
• Mason Roell extended his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games after going 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs on Friday night.
• All nine Sycamores reached base on Friday night against Illinois State.
• Ryan Karst went a career-high 8.2 innings in the longest outing by a Sycamore pitcher since Brennyn Cutts threw a 9.0-inning complete game at the 2024 Lexington Regional in the 13-2 win over Illinois.
• Ryan Karst picked up his second win of the 2026 season and dropped his ERA to a team-best 3.14 over 28.2 innings pitched.
• Indiana State improves to 7-3 in Missouri Valley play with the win and is tied for first overall in the conference standings with Murray State.

Up Next
Indiana State and Illinois State continued the weekend series on Saturday afternoon with first pitch set for 4 p.m. ET at Duffy Bass Field. The game will be carried live on 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.