By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – The Illinois State baseball team earned a 10-2 win over visiting Purdue in front of a season-high crowd of 1,351 fans Tuesday night in Illinois State’s annual “Stuff the Duff” game at Duffy Bass Field.
Illinois State (12-27) jumped on Purdue (7-31) early, scoring four runs in the first inning. The Redbirds never trailed in the contest. The Redbirds piled up 18 hits, their second-highest total of the season and most in over two months, and scored 10 runs for the first time in 25 games. Sean Beesley collected four hits, while Daniel Dwyer and Blake Molitor added three apiece. Owen Miller, Derek Parola and Dwyer drove in two runs each.
Illinois State struck first Tuesday as the Redbirds strung together five-straight hits to start the bottom of the first inning. Miller singled to right field to score Dwyer, who led off the inning with a double to left. Joe Kelch and Jean Ramirez followed with back-to-back singles through the left side of the infield, bringing in Miller to score. Molitor then singled through the right side to load the bases. Danny Jackson scored Kelch on a fielder’s choice and Parola drove in Ramirez on a sacrifice fly.
Purdue cut the lead in half with two runs in the top of the second. Jack Picchiotti drove in the Boilermakers’ first run with an RBI fielder’s choice. Cody Strong brought in the visiting team’s second run with an RBI single through the right side.
The Redbirds got one run back in the bottom of the second when Dwyer’s sharply-hit ball to shortstop brought Beesley in to score. Illinois State tacked on another in the third, on Parola’s second sacrifice fly of the game.
Illinois State added more cushion to its lead in the fifth when Ryan Hutchinson’s pinch-hit triple plated Parola. Beesley’s single to right field moments later scored Hutchinson.
The Redbirds got their final two runs in the seventh, thanks to an RBI single from Dwyer and a sacrifice fly from Miller.
Redbird starter Mitch Vogrin pitched the first 1.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. The Redbird bullpen took over from there, pitching 7.1 scoreless innings in relief. Jack Czeszewski, Jake Sale, Rhett Rapshus, Jeff Lindgren and Jack Landwehr all posted scoreless outings. Sale was credited with the pitching win, his first of the season.
Illinois State returns to action with a weekend Missouri Valley Conference series at Evansville, beginning Friday.
