Redbirds Rally to Win 156th Horenberger-Bass Classic

[April 22, 2015]  NORMAL - The Illinois State baseball team plated four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to turn a two-run deficit into a two-run lead and win the 156th Horenberger-Bass Classic over Illinois Wesleyan Tuesday at Duffy Bass Field. Illinois State won, 7-5.

Paul DeJong’s two-run home run to left-center field tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. Jared Hendren scored on a wild pitch to give the hosts the lead and Dennis Colon brought home another run with an RBI single.

Mitch Vogrin pitched two scoreless innings to finish up the game to earn his first collegiate win.

Illinois State (19-18) scored the game’s first run Tuesday when Hendren tripled and scored on an error, but Illinois Wesleyan (20-10) scored three runs in the top of the third with a run-scoring single from Derek Idstein and a two-run base hit from Pat Mollo. The Titans added another run in the fifth with a Mollo sacrifice fly.

The Redbirds started to claw their way back into the game with two runs in the sixth inning, courtesy of a a two-run single from Mason Snyder. Illinois Wesleyan got one of those back in the seventh, however, with an RBI double from Mallo, who drove in four of the Titans’ five runs.

Illinois State completed the comeback in the eighth inning, with four runs on six hits in the frame.

Redbird starter Matt Lambert surrendered four runs over four innings of work, with five hits and two walks allowed. Reliever Jeffrey Barton pitched three strong innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run on three hits and one walk. Vogrin finished off the win, with two shutout innings, allowing just one hit against three strikeouts.

Dwyer, DeJong, Hendren and Sean Beesley tallied two hits apiece for the Redbirds, while DeJong and Snyder drove in two runs each.

The Redbirds are back in action Wednesday night, hosting Webster at 6 p.m. at Duffy Bass Field.

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[Matt Wing, Illinois State University]