Redbirds advance to face Missouri State

[May 22, 2013]  NORMAL -- Chad Hinshaw went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and one run, and Chris Razo allowed just one run while striking out five in 7.0 innings of a run-ruled, eight-inning 11-1 Illinois State victory against Bradley on Tuesday in the opening day of the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship at Duffy Bass Field.

The top-seeded Redbirds advance to play No. 4 Missouri State on Wednesday at 7:37 p.m. Now facing elimination, the Braves will take on Evansville at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday

Bradley starter John Nasshan (2-8) suffered the loss, and Razo improved to 8-1 with the win. Five Redbirds had two or more hits, while Paul Solka led the Braves offensively with a 2-for-3 effort and one RBI. ISU improved to 37-18 and Bradley fell to 17-31.

Playing in their first-ever home Valley tournament game, Illinois State took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Eric Aguilera singled home Brett Kay and Zac Johnson scored on a wild pitch. Nasshan was taken out of the game with the bases loaded and two outs, but Cameron Roegner forced the Redbirds to leave the bases loaded. Bradley responded in the top of the second with one run on a single by Solka that allowed Josh Camalick to score, pulling the Braves within 2-1.

After a scoreless third inning, Illinois State extended its lead with a Mike Hollenbeck two-out, two-RBI single to right-center field that drove in Aguilera and Kyle Stanton. The Redbirds solidified their advantage with a five-run sixth frame. Sean Beesley started the scoring output with an RBI single, followed by a two-RBI single by Kay. Then, Hinshaw doubled to left center to drive in two more runs, increasing ISU’s lead to 9-1.

Illinois State closed out the game with two final runs in the eighth inning. Aguilera walked with the bases loaded and Stanton singled home Kay to secure the run-ruled victory.

The Redbirds will now face Missouri State for the fourth time this year, with the Redbirds leading the season series 2-1.

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Bradley-ISU box score  (PDF)

Play-by-play   (PDF)

[Text from news release received from Illinois State University]