McLean County Times

Illinois State University suffered a narrow defeat, 4-3, against Missouri State in their series finale held at Duffy Bass Field on Sunday. Despite a close encounter, the Redbirds were unable to clinch victory, leaving them with an overall record of 22-23 and 11-10 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Key performances for Illinois State included Daniel Pacella who went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Shai Robinson contributed by hitting 2-for-2, alongside two walks and a run scored.

In terms of pitching, Tanner Perry took the loss, bringing his record to 3-4 for the season. He pitched for five innings, allowed six hits, three earned runs, one walk, and recorded nine strikeouts. Braden Roesch and Matthew Donnison also pitched, with Roesch allowing one hit and no runs over an inning and Donnison conceding one earned run across three innings pitched.

The game saw Missouri State take an early 2-0 lead in the third inning. Pacella responded with his 16th home run of the season to even the score. However, the Bears regained the lead with an RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth inning, eventually extending it with a groundout RBI in the ninth. Illinois State reduced the deficit with a run in the ninth via a fielder’s choice but couldn’t bridge the gap further.

Notably, Pacella's home run marked his 43rd career homer as a Redbird, and Luke Stulga extended his hitting streak to 21 games. The Redbirds left the bases loaded in the ninth, missing a late opportunity to turn the game around.

Next, Illinois State will play Northern Illinois in DeKalb on Tuesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 2 PM. For ongoing updates on Illinois State Baseball, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on various social media platforms.