Redbirds Fall to Saint Louis University 8-2

Photo courtesy from ISU Athletics 

NORMAL, Ill.–The Illinois State Redbirds baseball team lost to the Saint Louis University Billikens by a score of 8-2. The Redbirds got an early start in the first inning.

Ryan Cermak scored as Connor Olson grounded out to second base in the bottom of the first which led to an RBI. Sean Sinisko was able to hold off the Billikens for four straight innings until he was subbed out for Justin Schubert. 

The score stayed 1-0 in the Redbirds favor up until the top of the fifth inning when SLU singled to right center and resulted in 2 runs scored. Shortly after, SLU doubled to right field and another run was scored. 

The biggest blow came in the top of the seventh inning when SLU’s Cameron Redding homered to center field on a ball that Ryan Cermak barely missed. The home run resulted in 3 more runs, making the score 6-1. In the bottom of the inning the Birds shot back with a ground ball from Aidan Huggins which allowed Adrian Flores to score and make the game 6-2 going into the next inning.

The Billikens delivered the final blow in the eighth with two more runs, one of which was off of a wild pitch. The Birds struggled with hitting, ending the game with only 5 hits on 31 attempts with an overall percentage of .161. 

While the Billikens only had 6 hits all game, pitching was also a big problem in the later half of the game, with 7 total walks, 4 batters hit by a pitch, and 2 wild pitches. These errors all opened the door for SLU and gave them much more opportunity to score. 

The series is now evened out at 1-1 between ISU and SLU. The Birds currently sit at a 9-9 overall record after today’s loss. Redbird baseball is back in action Tuesday, March 29th, when they host the Big Ten Iowa Hawkeyes. Coverage for that match up begins at 5 p.m. at Duffy Bass Field.