Redbirds Top No. 15 Missouri State, 4-1

[April 27, 2015]  NORMAL - The Illinois State baseball team scored its first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent in over eight years Saturday as the Redbirds topped No. 15 Missouri State, 4-1, at Duffy Bass Field.

Jacob Hendren earned his Missouri Valley Conference-leading eighth win of the year and Jack Landwehr nailed down the first save of his collegiate career as the Illinois State baseball team defeated a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since the Redbirds topped then-No. 5 Arkansas, on Feb. 24, 2007, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Hendren pitched six strong innings, limiting the Bears to one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Jack Czeszewski followed with a scoreless seventh inning and Mitch Vogrin worked around a pair of walks in a scoreless eighth. The Bears brought the potential game-tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Landwehr ended the game with a strikeout to earn the save.

Daniel Dwyer collected a pair of hits, including an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mason Snyder and Ryan Koziol drove in one run each for the Redbirds.

Missouri State (29-10, 8-3 MVC) plated the game’s first run in the top of the sixth inning. Joey Hawkins singled to lead off the inning, stole second base, and moved to third on a bad throw to second. He then scored on a double to the left-field wall from Spencer Johnson.

The Redbirds grabbed the lead in the bottom half of the inning, however, as they loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to a leadoff walk to Jared Hendren and back-to-back singles from Koziol and Snyder. Hendren scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1 before Jean Ramirez chased Koziol home with a sacrifice fly. Missouri State limited the damage, though, with an inning-ending double play ball.

Illinois State added a run in the seventh when Snyder drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in Dennis Colon, who had singled to lead off the inning. The Redbirds got another in the eighth when Dwyer drove in Sean Beesley.

Saturday’s win helped the Redbirds even the series with Missouri State at one game apiece. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Duffy Bass Field.

[Matt Wing, Illinois State University]
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.