By ISU Sports Information
PEORIA. – The Illinois State baseball team used a nine-run sixth inning to earn a 13-4 win in the rubber match of a three-game series at Bradley Sunday at Dozer Park.
Dennis Colon gave the Redbirds an early edge with a pair of RBI doubles, while ISU starter Steve Heilenbach settled down after the first inning with four scoreless frames. The Redbirds drew three bases-loaded walks in the nine-run sixth, and all three scored on Paul DeJong’s three-run double.
The Redbirds won the three-game series after splitting a doubleheader on Saturday.
“Any time you play 27 innings in just over 24 hours, you’ve got to have some mental and physical fortitude,” said Illinois State head coach Bo Durkac. “One of the reasons why we work our guys so hard in the weight room is to be able to outlast the competition, and we did that this weekend.”
Bradley (32-15, 10-8 MVC) scored two runs in the top of the first inning, thanks to an RBI single from Paul Solka and a sacrifice fly from Drew Carlile.
The Redbirds got one of those back in the second inning with Colon’s first RBI double, and then tied it with his second in the fourth inning. Illinois State (26-23, 8-10) took the lead moments later when Colon scored on a wild pitch, and added another run in the fifth when Ryan Koziol scored on passed ball.
Illinois State took firm control of the game in the sixth, however, with nine runs in the frame. Koziol got things started with a RBI single to center field. Mason Snyder followed with a sacrifice fly before Logan Leverett, Colon and Daniel Dwyer drew consecutive bases-loaded walks. DeJong then cleared the bases with a three-run double down the left-field line, and scored moments later on a Bradley error.
The Braves got two runs in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI groundout from Isaac Smith and a sacrifice fly from Spencer Gaa, but were unable to cut any further into the Redbirds’ lead the rest of the way.
Heilenbach allowed just two runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out three. Jack Landwehr allowed two runs in the sixth inning before Jack Czeszewski pitched two scoreless innings to follow and Mitch Vogrin finished off the win with a scoreless ninth.
Koziol led the Redbirds with three hits. DeJong, Snyder, Kelch and Colon added two hits apiece. Sean Beesley reached four times with a hit and three walks.
The Redbirds return home to Duffy Bass Field for their final home games of the 2015 season, against Indiana State, with a three-game series beginning Thursday.
