By ISU Sports Information
VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Illinois State baseball team held an early lead but couldn’t hold it as it dropped a midweek matchup to Valparaiso, 8-6, Tuesday at Emory G. Bauer Field.
Valparaiso (10-15) changed the game and took its first lead with a five-run third inning. Illinois State (8-20) committed two errors in the inning as Redbird starter Mitch Weis gave up three hits and five runs, three of which were earned. The Redbirds battled back but could not regain the lead after taking a 2-0 advantage early in the game.
In the top of the first, the Redbirds took advantage of a Crusader error as Owen Miller reached base with one out. Joe Kelch followed with a four-pitch walk. With runners at first and second and one out, Jean Ramirez smacked a double into the left-center field gap to plate both runners and give Illinois State the early 2-0 lead.
The Crusaders promptly answered with a leadoff double from Nolan Lodden in the bottom of the inning. Valparaiso took one run back from the Redbirds as Josh Clark singled in Lodden.
To start the third, Miller overthrew Ramirez at first base, which gave Valparaiso a runner at second base and no outs. Weis gave up a triple to the next batter as the Crusaders tied the game. Still with no outs in the inning, Ryan Hutchinson misplayed a hot shot to third, which allowed the go-ahead runner at third to score. Weis walked a batter, gave up two hits, and allowed three runs to score before he was pulled. Valparaiso batted around in the inning and scored five runs to take a 6-2 lead.
Jared Hendren gave the Redbirds a spark with a leadoff homer to left field in the fourth inning. Blake Molitor walked after the Hendren home run. Then with one out, Sean Beesley singled up the middle, setting the table for Miller. The freshman shortstop drove a pitch into the left-center gap to score both Molitor and Beesley, cutting the Crusaders’ lead to just one run.
Valparaiso added another run in the bottom of the fourth on a Mitch Vogrin wild pitch with runners at second and third. Vogrin was able to limit the damage to just one run with a nice 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Valparaiso led 7-5 after four.
The Redbirds started a two-out rally in the sixth with a Beesley single to center. Valparaiso’s freshman reliever Grant Inman got wild, as he walked Miller and hit Kelch on the first pitch to load the bases. This time, it was the Redbirds who scored a run on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to one run for the second time, at 7-6.
The Crusaders manufactured an insurance run in the seventh. Valparaiso led off with a double and followed that with a sacrifice bunt, moving the runner up to third base with one out. James Stea delivered a two-out single to score the run for Valparaiso.
Trailing 8-6, Illinois State went down in order in the eighth. In the ninth, Ramirez came through with his third hit of the evening, bringing the tying run to the plate with one out. Valparaiso’s Ryan Fritze struck out the next two Redbird batters, however, to end the game.
The Redbirds used a platoon of pitchers against Valparaiso, bringing in a total of six. Weis went two innings, while giving up four earned runs on six hits. Vogrin went two innings and allowed one run and struck out two. Jeff Lindgren tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Rhett Rapshus ran into trouble in the seventh and only recorded two outs, while allowing one run, before Jack Czeszewski got out of a jam by striking out the final batter of the inning. Jack Landwehr pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Ramirez and Beesley led the way for the Redbirds, combining for five of the Redbirds’ eight hits. Daniel Dwyer worked three walks in the game.
The Redbirds will open the Missouri Valley Conference portion of its schedule when they host Dallas Baptist for a three-game series starting Friday. First pitch Friday night is set for 4:30 p.m.
