Redbirds rally late, top SIU 9-8 to secure 1st outright MVC title

[May 20, 2013]  CARBONDALE -- Jeremy Rhoades' 3-2, two-out breaking pitch fooled Southern Illinois (24-31, 6-15 MVC) outfielder Nick Johnson for strike three, securing a thrilling 9-8, 10-inning victory for Illinois State (36-18, 16-5 MVC) Saturday at Abe Martin Field to set off a wild celebration as Illinois State won its first outright Missouri Valley Conference championship in program history.

The conference title is the second for Illinois State in four years under head coach Mark Kingston. The Redbirds won a share of ISU's first MVC title in 2010, Kingston's first season as head coach.

With the victory, the Redbirds own the top seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, which runs Tuesday-Saturday at Duffy Bass Field. The winner of the MVC Championship receives an automatic bid to an NCAA regional.

The Redbirds rallied for three runs over the final two innings of the game to come from behind to defeat the Salukis. A two-run rally in the ninth inning forced extra innings, before freshman Jack Czeszewski's RBI single to center field gave the Redbirds the lead for good in the 10th inning.

Rhoades (2-1) fired a season-best 4 1-3 perfect innings, collecting three strikeouts for the win. SIU closer Todd Eaton (1-2) earned a blown save in the ninth inning and suffered the loss in the 10th.

Trailing 8-6 going into the ninth inning, redshirt freshman second baseman Paul DeJong coaxed a leadoff walk versus Eaton. Joe Kelch pinch hit for Sean Beesley and knocked a single into left field, setting up a Brett Kay walk to load the bases. Chad Hinshaw's sacrifice fly to right field scored DeJong and advanced Kay to third base. Zac Johnson followed with an RBI single to center field, knotting the game at 8-8 and extending the game to the bottom of the ninth inning.

After Rhoades worked a one-two-three ninth inning, Mike Hollenbeck drew a one-out walk to open the 10th inning and advanced to second base on a single from Brock Stewart. Two batters and one out later, Czeszewski stepped to the plate for his first plate appearance since May 1 versus Webster. The true freshman outfielder lined a 2-1 pitch to center field for a base hit, scoring Hollenbeck and giving the Redbirds the lead for good. It was Czeszewski's first base hit since March 12 at Miami.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, Rhoades retired all three batters he faced, fanning Johnson to secure the win.

The three-hour, 19-minute marathon featured a back-and-forth battle between the two MVC rivals. Tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the third, the Salukis rallied for three runs, chasing Redbird starter Brad Sorkin from the game and giving SIU a 5-2 lead after three innings. DeJong's bases-clearing three-run double in the fourth inning tied the game at 5-5 before Kay's sacrifice fly gave the Redbirds a 6-5 advantage. SIU added three runs in the sixth inning to lead 8-6, a score that remained unchanged until the ninth inning.

Saturday's win capped Illinois State's 54-game regular season, which opened Feb. 15 with a 5-2 win at Memphis. With 36 wins, the Redbirds have tied the program record for most wins win a regular season, set by Kingston's 2011 Redbird team.

Illinois State will open the Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Tuesday versus eighth-seeded Bradley. First pitch is slated for 7:37 p.m. from Duffy Bass Field.

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[Text from news release received from Illinois State University]