By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL, Ill. – Owen Miller had to avoid not one, but two tag attempts at the plate to score the game-winning run in Illinois State’s 4-3 walk-off win over visiting Bradley Sunday at Duffy Bass Field.
In a tied game in the bottom of the ninth, Blake Molitor singled to left field with one out. Miller, who started at second base, rounded third and headed home. The throw from left beat Miller to the plate, but the freshman shortstop got around the initial tag attempt, leaving him past the plate. Miller then shot past Bradley’s catcher and stretched his hand out to touch home plate, beating a second tag attempt to secure the Illinois State win.
The win helped Illinois State (15-30, 5-9 MVC) avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of Bradley (23-17, 7-7).
Illinois State grabbed an early lead Sunday as the Redbirds put single tallies on the scoreboard in the second and third innings, respectively. In the second, Miller doubled down the left-field line to score Jared Hendren. In the third, Ryan Hutchinson’s sacrifice fly plated Jean Ramirez.
Bradley came back to even the score in the fourth, however, with RBI singles from Zach Fairchild and DJ Gasso.
Illinois State pushed back ahead in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI groundout from Hendren, but Bradley knotted the score up again the next half inning with a sacrifice fly from Spencer Gaa.
Neither team scored again until the bottom of the ninth, when Molitor’s single plated Miller.
Redbird starter Jacob Hendren turned in a quality start, allowing just two runs on five hits over six innings. He walked three and struck out four. Jake Sale followed with two innings of relief work, allowing just one hit, one walk and Gaa’s sacrifice fly in the seventh. Jack Landwehr pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to earn his fourth win of the season.
Miller was Illinois State’s only player to collect multiple hits, as he went 2-for-4 with a double, walk, RBI and run scored.
