The Illinois State baseball team secured a series victory over Western Illinois with two wins, 10-7 and 7-1, in a doubleheader on March 13 at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.
The outcome is significant for the Redbirds as it demonstrates their strong performance this season and highlights key contributions from several players. The team’s success in both games reflects their depth and ability to respond to challenges during play.
In the first game, Illinois State took an early lead with sacrifice flies from Luke Stulga and Ryan Bakes but fell behind after Western Illinois rallied. Key moments included Kannon Coakley’s first home run of the season to tie the game and Graham Mastros’ sixth home run, which also evened the score. The Redbirds regained control in the seventh inning with sacrifice flies by Mastros and Stulga before ultimately sealing the win after capitalizing on a throwing error by Western Illinois.
Game two saw Illinois State maintain momentum, opening with an RBI double from Stulga and extending their lead through consistent hitting. Michael Carrano contributed an RBI single, while Mastros continued his hitting streak with another strong performance. Pitcher Michael Addari recorded a career-best six strikeouts over five innings for his second win of the season.
Several individual achievements were noted: Camden Karczewski extended his hitting streak to six games; Brayden Bakes became the first Redbird this season to reach ten multi-hit games; Jackson Manning recorded his first Division I hit; and Lucas Foley earned his fifth win of the year in relief. The team has now achieved double-digit hits in six of its last seven games and posted four consecutive games with at least ten strikeouts.
According to the official website, Illinois State Redbirds benefits from the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund for competitiveness and recruitment, utilizes the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for student-athlete preparation, is linked to Illinois State University, offers news, schedules, rosters and fan resources to bolster its athletic community, competes in NCAA Division I events across various regions, and recently saw its men’s basketball team post an 8-2 record in one of its top starts (official website).
Looking ahead, fans can follow updates on GoRedbirds.com or through social media platforms as the team continues its season.
