Redbirds slam past NIU 22-3

[April 11, 2012]  DeKALB -- Chad Hinshaw homered twice and collected seven RBIs to lead Illinois State past Northern Illinois 22-3 Tuesday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field. The Redbirds improved to 20-10, while the Huskies fell to 8-24 following the nonconference matchup.

Brad Sorkin (2-2) earned the win after pitching six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out five. Matt Schmitt and Ryan Camp teamed up for the final three shutout innings of relief. Northern Illinois' Eli Anderson (1-2) suffered the loss.

Four Redbirds had three hits, including Kevin Tokarski and Ty Wiesemeyer, who were both one hit shy of the cycle. Tokarski finished the game with a home run, a double and a single, while Wiesemyer had a home run, a triple and a double. Illinois State totaled its highest scoring output since Feb. 26, when the Redbirds beat Tennessee Tech 28-2.

ISU jumped ahead of NIU early with three runs in the first inning, thanks to a single by Zac Johnson and a triple by Mike Hollenbeck, the first of his career. Northern Illinois responded with one run in the bottom of the first inning, but Illinois State proceeded to score 16 unanswered. Hinshaw hit a two-run home run in the second frame, and Tokarski slammed a two-run blast in the third. Hinshaw plated two more with a double, and Wiesemyer's triple scored Hinshaw.

Illinois State then broke the game open with seven runs in the fourth inning. David Fallon doubled home two runs and later scored on a wild pitch. A three-run homer by Wiesemeyer and a Tokarski RBI-double increased ISU's lead to 17-1. In the fifth inning, Brett Kay doubled to plate another run, and Bryan Huff scored on a wild pitch.

Northern Illinois tallied two more runs in the sixth, but ISU shut out NIU through the final three frames to secure the victory. Hinshaw's ninth-inning three-run homer to left-center field made the final score 22-3. Prior to Tuesday's game, Hinshaw had just one career home run.

Following the midweek win, Illinois State stays on the road for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Missouri State, starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. Live audio of the MVC set will be available on GoRedbirds.com and WJBC.com.

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[Text from news release from Illinois State University]