McLean County Times

The Illinois State baseball team faced a challenging doubleheader against Bradley at Duffy Bass Field, resulting in two losses for the Redbirds. In the first game, the Redbirds took the Braves to extra innings but ultimately fell short with a final score of 14-13 in the 12th inning.

Bradley gained an early advantage with four runs in the 1st inning, but Illinois State retaliated, leading 5-4 by the 5th inning, thanks to a grand slam by Daniel Pacella and a solo home run from Judah Morris. Bradley responded with three runs in the bottom of the 5th to regain the lead, 7-5.

The Redbirds briefly closed the gap with an RBI single from Luke Stulga in the 6th inning. However, Bradley extended their lead with six more runs. Illinois State mounted a dramatic comeback in the 8th inning, tying the game 13-13 with contributions including an RBI walk from Kyle Gibson, a sac fly from Shai Robinson, an RBI single from Pacella, and a grand slam by Brayden Bakes. The Braves secured the win in the 12th inning with an RBI double.

In the second game, Illinois State initially took the lead with an RBI single from Josh Outlaw in the 2nd inning. However, Bradley scored two runs in the 3rd and extended their lead to 7-1 by the 7th inning. Illinois State attempted a comeback in the 8th inning with a two-run home from Pacella but fell short, ending the game at 7-5.

Inside the statistics from the doubleheader, Daniel Pacella achieved his second career grand slam for Illinois State in game one, and Judah Morris hit his 11th home run of the season. Brayden Bakes secured his first career grand slam and his seventh home run of 2025. In game two, Pacella hit a home run for the third consecutive game, and both Morris and Graham Mastros recorded multiple hits, going 4-for-9 combined.

Illinois State is scheduled to host Northern Illinois on Wednesday, with a 5 PM start in Normal. For further updates, fans are encouraged to follow the team on various social media platforms and the GoRedbirds website.