Redbirds Dominant in Victory Over the Illini

Photo courtesy of goredbirds.com

NORMAL, Ill.- The Illinois State Redbird baseball team defeated in-state foe Illinois by a score of 10-1 at Duffy Bass Field Tuesday night.

It was all Redbirds from the second inning and on in the first matchup between Illinois State and Illinois since 2019. Illinois State scored in five straight innings to get up to their 10 total runs for the ballgame.

An offensive explosion for ISU was one of the main factors in the victory. Jake McCaw led the way for the Redbirds with three hits and one run batted in on the day. Luke Cheng came up huge in the fifth inning with a double to the gap to drive in two runs. Cheng also drove in another pair of runs in the 6th inning with a single. Ryan Cermak added two hits and a run batted in as well for Illinois State.

Redbird starter Collin Wyman came up huge pitching five shutout innings and gave up just five hits to earn the victory on the mound. Zach Holcomb came in the 8th inning and tossed two scoreless innings to help claim the win for the Redbirds.

Illinois State moves to 11-11 on the season. They will travel to Macomb tomorrow to take on the Leathernecks of Western Illinois at 3. The Birds will not fly back to Duffy Bass Field until April 15th when they host Valparaiso in Missouri Valley Conference play.