Illinois State Pulls Away Late For A 13-6 Win

Sunday, March 11

Seattle, WA

1:05 PM

University of Washington

Illinois State

March 11, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Brian Tom

SEATTLE – Washington homered twice and rallied several times Sunday at Husky Ballpark, but it wasn't enough, as Illinois State hit four home runs and scored six runs in the final two innings to pull away for a 13-6 win and take a 2-1 series advantage.

Illinois State (7-5) led from start to finish, but the game was much closer than the final score indicated. The visiting Redbirds scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the second before Washington (7-7) began chipping away at their lead.

Freshman Jonathan Schiffer drilled a two-run home run to left field – the first of his career – that made the score 5-2 in the second inning.

The Diamond Dawgs would go on to cut the lead to one run in the third, 5-4, with some two-out magic. Mason Cerrillo started the rally with an infield single, took second on a wild pitch and came around to score on a single by Levi Jordan. Jordan came home on the next pitch when catcher Nick Kahle sent a double down the left-field line that rattled around in the corner.

Illinois State increased its lead back to three runs in the fifth inning, 7-4, on a two-run single by third baseman Joe Aeilts, but once again the Huskies had an answer.

A day after he hit a pair of home runs, Jordan connected for his third in two days – this one a two-run shot into the Illinois State bullpen in left field. Jordan now has six RBI over the last two games.

His fifth career bomb in the fifth inning cut the score to 7-6, but that would be the closest the Huskies would get.

The Redbirds went back up by two runs in the eighth inning on a solo home run by second baseman Derek Parola before the flood gates opened in the ninth inning.

Illinois State iced the game in the ninth when they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five times to give them a seven-run cushion. Joe Aeilts and Joe Butler each homered in the inning – the third and fourth of the game for the Redbirds – to provide the big blows.

Chris Micheles (0-2), the first of six Husky pitchers on the day, threw the first two innings and took the loss.

Jeff Lingren (1-0) entered the game with one out in the fifth inning and earned the victory for the Redbirds.

Kyle Pauly took over in bottom of the eighth inning with the tying run at the plate and recorded the final four outs for his second save of the series and season.

The two teams meet again on Monday evening at 6:05 p.m. Redshirt freshman Lucas Knowles will take the ball for the Huskies on the mound as they try to earn a series split.