In Illinois State baseball’s 2-1 win over Western Illinois, very few hard-hit balls were falling for the Redbirds.
That is until redshirt junior Jack Butler ripped a single up the middle in the bottom of the tenth inning. With one out pinch-runner Jeremey Gaines was off with the pitch. Rounding third, Gaines slide into home uncontested to secure the Redbirds’ walk-off victory in the first home game of the season.
Butler noted that keeping the same approach was key in the decisive hit.
“I think we just battled all game,” Bulter said. “We knew hits were not falling, but we had the same approach and kept battling. It was nice to get a win-get it going for the boys again.”
ISU opened the season with a pitching duel against the Leathernecks.
Redbird starter Jack Anderson made one mistake. In the top of the second WIU second baseman, Diego Munoz lifted a fly ball into the air stream over the left-field fence.
Despite being down 1-0, the Redbirds battled back. The lead-off batter, Jake McCaw, drew the walk. Quickly though he would advance to third base on a stolen base and pass ball. Lifting a fly ball to left field was all Gunner Petterson needed to tie the game at 1-1.
After giving up unanswered runs over the weekend at Southeast Missouri, head coach Steve Holm thought answering the Leathernecks run was a good sign.
“That was a piece I thought was missing this weekend,” Holm said. “The other team would score, and it would deflate us over the weekend. That was good to answer right back. That is deflating for the other team to have scored and us to score right back.”
The Leathernecks had chances to score but were taken away by a pair of ISU defensive gems. Freshman Luke Cheng took away a potential run in the top of the fourth. Sliding into the hole Cheng quickly fielded the ball before gunning the runner down at first.
“Cheng saved the game for us,” Holm said. “We made a couple of double plays, that play in the hole was huge though.”
ISU doubled up runners on line drives in the sixth and seventh to neutralize a pair of Leatherneck rallies.
Coming into the game Holm did not expect reliever Colin Wyman to stretch five innings. Pitching over the weekend, Holm just needed Wyman to kept ISU in the game.
“The pitching staff did a great job,” Holm said. “We gave up the one run. Whoever pitched five innings and we did not expect that. All we wanted to do was be in a position to win.”
For the first time since May 24, ISU able to host a home game.
“It was awesome to play at home,” Butler said. “It had been almost two years. It was great to back on the home field and have fans supporting us.”
With the win, the Redbirds improve their record to 4-6.
ISU will be back in action over the weekend at Missouri. Game one of the series will start at 3 p.m. Friday.
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.