McLean County Times

Illinois State baseball team achieved a significant victory against #25 Oklahoma State, winning 12-6 at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game took place on Friday in front of an audience exceeding 5,200.

Judah Morris led Illinois State (3-8) with an impressive performance, going 3-for-4 and contributing four RBIs. This result brings Oklahoma State's record to 7-6.

The Redbirds initiated the scoring in the first inning after consecutive walks to Kyle Gibson and Shai Robinson, setting the score at 1-0. In the second inning, Illinois State extended their lead to 3-0 with a groundout RBI by Daniel Pacella and a single RBI from Judah Morris.

Oklahoma State narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the third inning with a two-RBI double. However, Illinois State responded swiftly in the fourth inning with runs from a two-RBI double by Morris and an RBI single by Robinson. By the end of four innings, OSU had closed in again to make it 6-4.

In the fifth inning, Illinois State further increased their lead to 9-4 through a two-RBI double from Mastros and another RBI single from Morris. Although there were no scores for two innings following this surge, Oklahoma State managed to add two runs in the seventh inning, bringing them closer at 9-6.

Pacella then hit a home run at the start of the eighth inning for Illinois State, making it 10-6. Nolan Barry added two more runs for Illinois State in the ninth inning.

Illinois State's top three hitters collectively went 7-for-13 with eight RBIs during this match. Matthew Donnison achieved a career-high six strikeouts over his pitching span of 2.2 innings while Thomas Harper earned his first career save after allowing only one hit over another stretch of 2.2 innings pitched.

The series between these teams will conclude on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon.

For updates on Illinois State Baseball activities or information about tickets and merchandise visit GoRedbirds.com or follow them on social media platforms like X (@RedbirdBaseball), Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).