April 25, 2015 Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State scored four times over its final three turns at bat and four Redbird pitchers combined to hold Missouri State's offense in check as ISU snapped the Bears' 11-game road win streak with a 4-1 decision on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field.
ISU's Jacob Hendren and three relievers limited the Bears (29-10, 8-3 MVC) to a season-low five hits and a single run to send Missouri State to its first road defeat since March 14 at Kansas State. Hendren (8-1) struck out seven and scattered three hits over the first six frames, before Jack Czeszewski and Mitch Vogrin kept the Bears off the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth innings and Jack Landwehr struck out Joey Hawkins with a pair of runners on base to close out his first save of the season.
After the Bears rallied from a late one-run deficit in Friday's 8-3 extra-inning victory, it was the Redbirds' (21-19, 6-8 MVC) turn to rally in game two of the series. MSU used a Spencer Johnson RBI double to claim a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth, but ISU answered immediately to swing momentum in its favor for good. A leadoff walk and back-to-back singles by Ryan Koziol and Mason Snyder set up the Redbirds' two-run rally, as Jean Ramirez brought home the tying run with a sacrifice fly to center, before a Matt Hall wild pitch allowed the go-ahead tally to cross the plate.
MSU reliever Sam Perez limited the damage by inducing an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to keep it a one-run game, but the Redbirds went back to work the following inning to extend their lead. Dennis Colon's base hit started the seventh before Daniel Dwyer moved the runner into scoring position with a bouncer to second. Next, the Bears elected to intentionally walk ISU's top hitter, Paul DeJong, and a fielder's choice grounder to third resulted in the second out of the inning.
But Bears reliever Alex Jefferson issued a walk to Koziol to load the bases, then put Snyder aboard with a four-pitch free pass as well to force home the third ISU run of the game.
A one-out walk to Sean Beasley started another Redbird rally in the eighth that would ultimately stretch the margin to three runs. After Beesley stole second, Dwyer lined a two-out offering from Jefferson into right for a run-scoring single and a 4-1 Illinois State advantage.
Landwehr quickly dispatched the first two batters in the ninth before walking pinch hitter Aaron Meyer and giving up a line-drive single to Dylan Becker to bring Hawkins to the plate with the potential tying run. But the sophomore right-hander caught the outside corner with a full-count pitch to slam the door on the Bears, who dropped just their fourth road game of the season in 17 contests.
Hall (6-2), who held the Redbirds scoreless on two hits through the first five innings, suffered just his second loss in 12 appearances this season after allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five and walking three in his 5 1/3 innings.
The Bears and Redbirds conclude their three-game series with a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
