McLean County Times

Illinois State baseball clinched a series win over Belmont with a decisive 14-2 victory on Sunday at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville. The game concluded in seven innings.

The Redbirds, now holding an 8-13 overall record and 2-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), collected 14 hits, featuring four home runs. Belmont's performance saw them finish with a 9-16 overall record and 1-2 in the MVC, recording four hits.

Key contributors for Illinois State included Brayden Bakes, who went 3-for-3 with three home runs and six RBIs. Daniel Pacella contributed by going 2-for-5 with a home run and a double, while Josh Outlaw was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

On the mound, Tyrelle Chadwick earned the win, pitching five innings with three hits allowed, one earned run, no walks, and two strikeouts. Matthew Donnison pitched one inning without allowing any hits or runs, and Michael Addari closed out the game with one hit allowed over his inning of work.

Belmont took an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. However, Illinois State responded quickly when Bakes hit a solo home run in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1. The Redbirds then unleashed an offensive barrage in the fourth inning, scoring eleven runs highlighted by Pacella's home run and Bakes' three-run homer. Belmont managed another run in their half of the fourth but could not keep pace as Illinois State added more runs in subsequent innings.

Notably, Judah Morris extended his on-base streak to eighteen games—the longest for a Redbird this season—and Bakes recorded Illinois State's first three-home-run game since Ryan Cermak achieved the feat against Western Illinois in April 2022.

Looking ahead, Illinois State is set to return to Duffy Bass Field for a midweek matchup against Iowa on Tuesday at 5 PM.

For ongoing updates on Illinois State Baseball activities and results, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow team social media accounts on X (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball).