By: WJBC Staff
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A big day from Owen Miller and strong contributions from the Redbird bullpen helped the Illinois State baseball team to a 13-7 win over Youngstown State in the Redbirds’ final game at the Riverview Inn Governors Challenge Sunday at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Miller went 3-for-6 with a double and four RBIs, while the bullpen trio of Mitch Vogrin, Jeff Lindgren and Trevor Cross combined for seven innings of one-run baseball, to help guide the Redbirds to a win Sunday and a 2-1 showing at the Governors Challenge.
“For the third-straight game, we gave up several runs in the first inning, and that’s not a good recipe for success. We can’t continue to fall behind like that against good teams and expect to live to tell about it,” said Illinois State head coach Bo Durkac. “But I thought the player of the game was Mitch Vogrin. To come in and give us three innings in his first appearance of the year, and shut down their offense, I thought was huge for us.”
Illinois State (2-1) scratched out a run in the top of the first inning on a two-out RBI single from Nick Zouras, but Youngstown State (0-3) answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning, all of them coming on a grand slam from Andrew Kendrick.
The resilient Redbirds wasted little time in responding, as the Redbirds plated five runs in the top of the second to take control of the game. Noah Sadler started the rally with a run-scoring triple; he scored on a throwing error on the play. Owen Miller later delivered a two-run single before Collin Braithwaite chased him home with a single to left.
Illinois State tacked on two runs in the top of the third, thanks to an RBI double from Tyler Paulsen and a run-scoring single from Bryce Grimm.
Neither team scored over the next four innings as the bullpens settled in. Youngstown State cut the Redbird lead in half, however, with an RBI groundout from Kendrick and a run-scoring single from Kyle Benyo in the seventh.
Illinois State got those two runs back, though, with a two-run home run by John Rave in the top of the ninth inning. The Redbirds then added three more when Sadler scored on a wild pitch just moments before Miller contributed a two-run single through the left side of the infield.
Kendrick swatted his second home run of the day in the bottom of the ninth – a solo shot – but that’s all the offense the Penguins mounted in the game’s final inning.
Joining Miller as Redbirds with multiple hits on Sunday were Grimm (2-for-5), Zouras (2-for-6) and Sadler (2-for-4).
Illinois State starting pitcher Mitch Weis lasted for just one inning Sunday, after allowing four runs in the first. But the Redbird bullpen took over from there, as Vogrin followed with three sparkling inning of scoreless work, striking out six along the way. Lindgren took over from there, with two scoreless frames. Brent Headrick allowed two runs (one earned) in the seventh inning, before Cross finished off the win with two strong innings to earn the Redbirds’ first save of the year.
