Life in the Valley

Illinois State, Indiana State Both 7-2 to Lead Valley

Seven straight wins have launched the Illinois State Redbirds to a 17-11 record and more importantly, 7-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference after 3 league weekends. The Redbirds now sit tied with Indiana State (23-7, 7-2) for top honors in the Valley after Illinois State swept Valparaiso over the weekend and Indiana State took 2 of 3 at Murray State.

Let’s start with the Redbirds, who have 7 in a row in conference play after sitting 0-2 following a pair of losses to Bradley back in March. A 12-3 victory over the Braves at the time seemed to simply salvage a game for Illinois State and allow the Redbirds to avoid being swept. But a sweep at Missouri State followed, then the Redbirds took all 3 from Valpo in emphatic fashion, outscoring the Beacons 20-2, including an 11-1, 7-inning run-rule victory on Friday, and a 6-0 shutout on Sunday that saw Tanner Perry throw his name in the hat for MVC Pitcher of the Week honors with 6 shutout innings of 2-hit baseball, allowing just 2 walks and striking out 10 on 97 pitches (5.39 pitches per out). Matthew Donnison and Carter Monke worked the final 3 innings, allowing no hits and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts to finish off the combined shutout.

Perry’s previous high for strikeouts had been 7 in a loss at Northwestern back in February. In his last 3 starts, Perry, a junior transfer from SIU, has pitched 20 innings (1.80 ERA) and allowed just 4 runs on 14 hits with 7 walks and 21 strikeouts, throwing 296 pitches. In that time, he’s lowered his season ERA from 6.12 to 4.26, while winning his last 4 decisions to turn around an 0-3 start.

In Friday’s 11-1 win, Illinois State scored 9 runs in the first 3 innings, including a 3-run homer by Auggie Rasmussen and a 2-run double by Daniel Pacella, who went 3-for-4 with 3 runs. Cameron Mabee pitched a complete game, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits with 0 walks and 3 strikeouts on 88 pitches (4.19 ppo). Entering the weekend, there had been just 4 complete games thrown by Valley pitchers this season.

On Saturday, Luke Lawrence had 3 hits and scored a run and Pacella drove in 2 more runs in Illinois State’s 3-1 win. This was a high-quality pitching matchup, with Illinois State’s Tyrelle Chadwick just getting the better of Valpo’s Connor Lockwood. Chadwick went 6 innings, allowing 0 runs on 4 hits, though Valpo worked him for 111 pitches. Lockwood gave up 3 runs on 9 hits with 0 walks and 5 strikeouts on 87 pitches over 6 innings (4.83 ppo).

The Redbirds are scheduled to visit Illinois on Tuesday then Western Illinois on Wednesday before a trip to Evansville for this weekend’s conference series.

Valparaiso (10-19, 2-7) looks to rebound at Milwaukee on. Tuesday before hosting Belmont this weekend.

Indiana State Takes 2 at Murray State: Murray State looked like it was going to get a leg up on the Sycamores this weekend in their battle to try and catch Indiana State at the top of the Valley when Drew Vogel homered in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Racers a 5-4 victory. Impending weather forced the series to be concluded with a doubleheader on Saturday, and the Sycamores used some extra-inning heroics of their own to draw even, then took the series finale, 6-4, to maintain a share of first place in the Valley and improve to 23-7 overall.

Murray (20-12, 4-5) picked up its 20th win of the season and moved a game above .500 in the conference Friday after Vogel’s homer ended matters in the 12th inning, Indiana State had taken a 4-3 lead in the 8th on a wild pitch, but the Racers responded right back when Dan Tauken hit a solo homer. Both bullpens saw fine performances, with Indiana State’s Simon Gregersen pitching 3 scoreless, hitless innings with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Murray State’s Thomas McNabb and Nathan Holler (W, 2-0) combined to work the final 4 innings without allowing a hit or run, with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Randal Diaz went 3-for-5 with a homer, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs in the loss.

Saturday was a baseball purist’s dream in the opener, as the Sycamores clung to a 1-0 lead into the 9th inning thanks to Parker Stinson’s 2nd-inning homer and 7 shutout innings by Brennyn Cutts (2 hits, 7 strikeouts). But in the 9th, Murray State loaded the bases and Ethan Krizen walked with 2 outs to force in the tying run. That kept Murray starter Jacob Pennington from what would have been a hard-luck loss. Pennington went 9 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits with 6 strikeouts on 114 pitches (4.22 ppo). In the 10th, however, Adam Pottinger homered off Bryce Valero to give the Sycamores the lead for good and making a winner of Cam Edmonson (4-0). Gregersen worked the 10th and got the save, pitching around a hit and a walk.

Down 4-3 in the 8th inning of the Saturday nightcap and series finale, the Sycamores rallied again, this time thanks to Luis Hernandez, who came up with the bases loaded and delivered a 3-run double to close out the scoring in the Sycamores’ 6-4 win. Hernandez had 4 RBIs in the win, while Grant Magill had 3 hits. Luke McEwen pitched 3 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts to get the win.

Indiana State’s week seems them at Purdue Tuesday and then home to Bradley this weekend. Murray State is at Ole Miss on Tuesday before heading to Southern Illinois this weekend.

UIC Sweeps Southern Illinois: The Flames bounced back from a sweep at the hands of Indiana State last weekend by returning the favor against visiting Southern Illinois. UIC won by scores of 7-5, 3-2, and 5-1, to improve 19-10 overall and 5-4 in the Valley. SIU fell to 19-13, 4-5.

Marcus Heusohn had 2 hits and 3 RBIs to lead the UIC attack in Game 1, while Ryan Nagelbach and James Harris each also had 2 hits. UIC rallied from 5-3 down, scoring the final 4 runs over the last 4 innings to get the win. Harris’ RBI single in the 7th scored Kendal Ewell with what proved to be the winning run. Cole Christman had 3 hits and drove in 2 in the loss for SIU.

In Saturday’s middle game of the series, the teams went to the 10th inning tied at 2-2 before Ewell was on the other end of the game-winning play, singling home Heusohn for a 3-2 walk-off victory. Ewell and 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs in the win while Zane Zielinski also had 3 hits. Jake Allgeyer and Mathieu Vallee each stole 2 bases for the Salukis. Dylan White worked the 10th to get the win for UIC, while Zak Gould pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief from the 7th to the 9th to give the Flames to chance to get the victory.

Later Saturday, Ewell scored twice, while Nagelbach and A.J. Taylor each had 2 hits as UIC finished off doubleheader and series weeps, 5-1. Kendall Lyons got the win, pitching 5 innings and striking out 4 while allowing 1 run on 8 hits. SIU starter Aiden Foeller got the loss, but added to his conference-leading strikeout total by fanning 12 in just 6 innings. He allowed 2 runs on only 4 hits and only 1 of the runs was earned. Christman had 3 more hits in the loss.

UIC goes to Northwestern in non-conference action on Tuesday before hitting the road for Springfield this weekend to take on Missouri State.

Southern Illinois is home Tuesday to Southeast Missouri State then hosts Murray State this weekend.

Purple Aces Take 2 at Belmont: While Evansville’s weekend ended with a bit of a thud, getting run-ruled by Belmont, 12-0, on Sunday, the Purple Aces did enough the first games of the series to clinch an important series victory and keep themselves afloat in the Valley race. Kip Fougerousse’s 5th-inning RBI single that scored Harrison Taubert closed the scoring in UE’s 3-2 win on Friday. Cal McGinnis went 3-for-4 for UE. Brent Widder (UE) and Jack Rando (Belmont) each homered. Kenton Deverman started for UE and went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts to get the win and go 3-1 on the season. Shane Harris retired 12 of the 13 men he faced to close out the game, earning the rare 4-inning save without allowing a hit or run.

On Saturday, UE (14-17, 4-5) clinched the series with an 8-3 victory. Brendan Hord got Evansville off and running with a 3-run homer in the 2nd inning. Mark Shallenberger hit 2-run homers in the 5th and 6th innings as the Purple Aces built an 8-0 lead. Taubert went 4-for-5 with 2 runs and Shallenberger also doubled for 10 total bases. Donovan Schultz pitched 7 innings and struck out 6 to get the victory.

Belmont answered with a vengeance on Sunday, pounding the Purple Aces, 12-0, in 7 innings. The Bruins pounded out 5 homers in the win, as Jack Rando, Mason Landers, Brodey, Heaton, Max Blessinger, and Michael Lareau all did yard work. Blessinger’s homer was a 3-run shot in the 4th that put the Bruins up, 6-0. Rando hit a 2-run homer in the 1st. The other 3 homers were solo shots. Lareau also singled and doubled to lead Belmont with 3 hits. Joe Ruzicka, a former midweek starter, has affirmed his weekend rotation spot now, throwing a 7-inning shutout while allowing just 3 hits. He walked 4 and struck out 3 over 87 pitches (4.14 ppo).

UE is at Butler Tuesday and then hosts Illinois State this weekend.

Belmont (17-15, 5-4) hosts Austin Peay on Tuesday and then goes to Valparaiso this weekend.

Bears Take Two at Bradley: In another series that featured a Saturday doubleheader, Missouri State (13-17, 3-6) and Bradley traded blowouts but the Bears captured the series after having won Friday night. It was Missouri State’s first conference series win of the season.

Friday’s Bears win came down to the pitching of Brandt Thompson and the power of Taeg Gollert and Curry Sutherland. Thompson improved to 4-0 on the season by starting and going 7 innings. He gave up 3 hits and 0 runs with just 1 walk and 6 strikeouts over 99 pitches (4.71), getting the best of Bradley ace Noah Edders, who lasted 6 2/3 innings but allowed 7 runs on 7 hits, though 3 of those runs were unearned.

Thompson a senior from Eden Prairie, Minn., who also played at North Iowa Area Community College, is looking to earn All-MVC First-Team honors for the 2nd straight season and his last 3 outings would make believers out of anyone that he’s headed in the right direction. Forgetting a short 1-out start, 7-pitch start at Kansas State on March 15, Thompson (4-0, 2.03) has pitched 36 innings in 6 other starts since Feb. 24, allowing only 24 hits, 6 earned runs (1.50 ERA), with a mere 7 walks compared to 36 strikeouts. In that stretch, his season ERA has sunk from 7.36 to 2.03. For the season, he has a 5:1 strikeout:walk ratio. He’s also been a workhorse, throwing at least 89 pitches in all 6 of those aforementioned starts.

On the offensive side, Sutherland went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs, including the homer and 2 doubles. Gollert homered in the 9th to finish the scoring and scored 2 runs.

Missouri State didn’t let up in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader, routing the Braves, 14-0, in 7 innings. Zack Stewart, Jahlani Rogers, and Tyler Epstein all homered for the Bears. Stewart also doubled and drove in 4 runs. Dylan Leach had 2 hits, a walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBIs. Epstein had 2 hits and 3 RBIs. Jason Schaffer threw 5 shutout innings of 3-hit ball to get the win with 6 strikeouts.

The tables turned, however, in the series and doubleheader finale, as Bradley’s bats – shutout for the first 17 innings of the series, finally awoke in the 2nd inning of the finale and then they couldn’t stop as the Braves won, 10-2. Cole Luckey finally got Bradley a run in the 2nd, doubling to score Michael Mylott. The floodgates then opened in the 3rd, as Timmy O’Brien doubled home 2 runs, Tyrelle Johnson doubled in 1, and Travis Lutz scored on a ground out to make it 5-0. By the time Leach homered in the 6th to get the Bears on the board, Bradley had already taken an 8-0 lead.

O’Brien got that run back and then some in the bottom of the 6th with another 2-run double to finish a 3-hit, 4-RBI game. Leach hit another solo homer in the 9th to complete the scoring. Bradley outhit Missouri State, 16-7. Brayden Marks was the recipient of the all run support, but he didn’t really need much, throwing 5 innings of shutout ball with just 2 hits, 0 walks, and 5 strikeouts on an efficient 72 pitches (4.8 ppo).

The Bears visit 2023 College World Series participant Oral Roberts on Tuesday before hosting UIC this weekend. Bradley (10-18, 4-5) hosts Lindenwood on Wednesday then travel to Indiana State this weekend.

What I’m Watching Tonight: Well, there’s not a single live game on ESPN+ today, but if you’re desperate for college baseball, the Pac-12 Network’s Stanford live stream has the Cardinal against Arizona in a Monday matinee.

What I’m Watching Tonight, Part 2: It’s a big night for Boilermakers everywhere, of which I’m one. So I’ll be watching to see if Purdue can take down mighty UConn and win the national championship in hoops.