McLean County Times

Illinois State University's baseball team faced a narrow defeat against Evansville, losing 6-5 in a walk-off game at Charles A. Braun Stadium. The match saw Evansville scoring two runs in the second, eighth, and ninth innings.

Illinois State's current record stands at 18-14 overall and 7-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Key performances came from senior Shaydon Kubo and redshirt junior Judah Morris, both contributing two hits. Morris also added two RBIs to his name.

Evansville's win brings their record to 17-17 overall and 6-5 in the MVC.

Judah Morris initiated scoring for Illinois State with a home run in the second inning. However, Evansville quickly responded with two runs through a sacrifice fly and an RBI double. Kubo equalized for Illinois State with a solo home run in the fourth inning.

In the fifth inning, Greg Nichols' RBI double brought freshman Luke Stulga home, putting Illinois State ahead at 3-2. Morris further extended their lead to 4-2 in the eighth inning before Evansville tied it again with a two-RBI single.

JT Sokolove's hit down the left field line gave Illinois State a brief lead of 5-4 in the ninth inning. However, Evansville clinched victory by scoring twice more in their final turn at bat.

Key statistics include Lawrence reaching base consecutively for 18 games and Sokolove for 20 games. Sophomore Tyrelle Chadwick pitched for 7.1 innings with three strikeouts while allowing four runs.

The series between Illinois State and Evansville will conclude on Sunday with a game scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT.

For updates on Illinois State Baseball, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow their social media channels on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball), Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).