The Illinois State baseball team lost 8-2 to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) on Saturday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
MTSU started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning for an early lead. The Blue Raiders extended their advantage to 4-0 with a two-run home run in the second inning.
Illinois State got on the board in the fourth inning when graduate student Camden Karczewski drew a bases-loaded walk, making it 4-1. MTSU responded with another home run in the bottom of the same inning, pushing their lead to 5-1.
In the sixth inning, sophomore Eric Machej hit a solo home run for Illinois State, narrowing the gap to 5-2. The Redbirds loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth but could not capitalize. In the bottom half of that frame, MTSU added a two-RBI double to secure an 8-2 victory.
Junior Graham Mastros went 2-for-5 at bat, marking his fourth multi-hit game this season. Junior Ryan Bakes also had a strong performance with two hits in four at-bats, earning his third multi-hit game and his first since the season-opening series against SEMO.
On the mound, junior Michael Addari recorded four strikeouts and has achieved three or more strikeouts in each of his three appearances this year. Addari pitched a career-best five innings after entering during the third inning. Junior Carson Cormier tallied three strikeouts in his second start of the season and has also posted three or more punchouts in all three outings.
Illinois State Redbirds are part of Illinois State University and compete in NCAA Division I events across various regions according to their official website. The program benefits from resources such as the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund and uses facilities like the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for athlete preparation (source). Fans can find news, schedules, rosters, and other resources through GoRedbirds.com (source).
For further updates on Illinois State Baseball, information is available at GoRedbirds.com as well as on social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
