By: WJBC Staff
CINCINNATI – Illinois State and Xavier split a baseball doubleheader Saturday at Hayden Park as the Redbirds won the opener, 7-5, before dropping the nightcap, 3-2.
Illinois State’s record is now 6-15. Xavier is 13-11.
Game 1
Illinois State 7, Xavier 5
Big performances at the plate from Owen Miller and Joe Butler helped Illinois State win the opener of Saturday’s twin bill. Miller went 4-for-5 and Butler went 3-for-4 as both players matched career highs for hits in a game.
Miller and Butler combined for nearly half of Illinois State’s 15 hits, and a trio of Redbird relievers limited Xavier to two runs over the final five-plus innings. Jack Landwehr earned his first win of the season and Mitch Vogrin tallied the first save of his collegiate career to help the Redbirds secure a 7-5 win.
A sacrifice fly from Noah Sadler and a run-scoring infield single from Zach Barnhart gave the Redbirds a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Illinois State added another tally in the second on an RBI groundout from Nick Zouras.
Xavier got on the scoreboard in the third inning when Conor Grammes provided a two-out RBI double. The Musketeers tied it in the fourth with an RBI double from Mitch Gallagher and a Redbird error that allowed Gallagher to score.
The Redbirds reclaimed the lead with a two-run home run from John Rave in the top of the fifth, and added another run with a two-out RBI single from Zouras in the sixth.
Xavier got a run back in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single from Rylan Bannon and then got back within one run of the lead on Will LaRue’s sacrifice fly in the seventh. But Butler delivered a key insurance for the Redbirds with an RBI single in the top of the eighth.
Redbird starter Brady Huffman allowed two earned runs over the first 3.2 innings. Landwehr and Colton Johnson surrendered one run each in relief appearances before Vogrin shut the door with a clean ninth inning.
Game 2
Xavier 3, Illinois State 2
Xavier salvaged a doubleheader split with a walk-off win in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader. Gallagher provided a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to help the hosts earn the doubleheader split and the series victory.
The loss spoiled a solid day from the mound for the Redbirds. Starter Brent Headrick allowed just two runs over 4.1 innings, while striking out a career-high six batters. Jeffrey Barton followed that by retiring all eight batters he faced in a sparkling relief appearance. David Meade pitched a scoreless eighth before Xavier scored the game-winner in the ninth.
Illinois State scored first in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, plating a run on Collin Braithwaite’s sacrifice fly in the top of the third. The Redbirds added another run in the fourth with an RBI triple from Joe Aeilts.
Xavier tied the game with a two-run home run from Joe Gellenbeck in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Neither team scored until Gallagher’s walk-off single in the ninth. LaRue and Matt Fallon started the inning with back-to-back, one-out singles, and both advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch before Gallagher delivered the game-winner.
Miller, Braithwaite and Aeilts tallied two hits each for the Redbirds.
Illinois State will return to action Tuesday when it hosts its first home game of the 2017 season, as the Redbirds welcome Saint Louis to Duffy Bass Field at 4:30 p.m. Admission to all Illinois State home games is free.
