Redbirds Drop Series Finale To Valparaiso In Pitchers’ Duel

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State dropped the series finale against Valparaiso in a 2-1 final as both teams struggled to muster any offense on a cold Easter Sunday.

Similar to yesterday, the Redbird offense struggled to find any offense against the starter for the Beacons. This meant Normal native Griffin McCluskey earned a dominant win, pitching six innings of one-run baseball.

On the mound to start for the Redbirds was Jordan Lussier, who also pitched six innings on the day. However, he had to pitch from behind once an Alex Ryan double landed over the head of Ryan Cermak to score catcher Angel DiFederico from first.

The task of tying the game became twice as hard for the ‘Birds when Kyle Schmack knocked a single in between first and second, despite a base being open for the red-hot hitter.

Nick Gile scored Connor Olson half an inning later to make it a one-run game off of a two-out double, and that was it for the scoring in the ballgame. Nathan Chasey notched two shutout innings after pitching just a day prior, and then Bobby Nowak held it down for a save in the ninth, his seventh of the season.

This will send the Redbirds back on the road for a Tuesday matchup with the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin with a 4 p.m. start time.