McLean County Times

The Illinois State baseball team was defeated by Evansville, 17-6, in the MVC Tournament's second day at Charles H. Braun Stadium. The Redbirds, now with a record of 28-26, are set to play against the winner of Missouri State/Belmont on Thursday morning in an elimination game.

In the match, junior Noah Rabin and senior Shaydon Kubo each contributed three hits to the Redbirds' total of 13 hits. Evansville, with a record of 32-23, advances to face the winner of Murray State/UIC on Thursday night.

Judah Morris and Rabin hit consecutive home runs in the first inning, giving Illinois State an early lead. However, Evansville quickly responded with two solo home runs, ending the inning at 3-2. In the third inning, Daniel Pacella hit a two-run home run and Rabin added his second solo home run of the day to extend their lead.

Evansville took control from there, scoring 15 unanswered runs across multiple innings: four in the third, seven in the fourth, and two each in the sixth and seventh innings. This surge put them ahead decisively at 17-6.

Notable highlights from this game include Morris and Rabin's back-to-back home runs for the first time since May 3rd. It was also only the fourth time this season that Illinois State has hit four home runs in a single game. The combined nine home runs (four by Illinois State and five by Evansville) made it a high-scoring affair.

Illinois State will play again on Thursday at 9:00 AM against either Belmont or Missouri State. The game will be available for viewing on ESPN+.

For more updates on Illinois State Baseball, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow their social media channels.