NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State completed a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series sweep of Missouri State by taking both ends of the two clubs' Saturday doubleheader at Duffy Bass Field. The Redbirds scored seven unanswered runs to claim a 7-5 victory in the first game, before holding off a late Bears rally for a 5-3 decision in the nightcap.

The series setback for Missouri State (11-24, 4-5 MVC) represented its first Valley series loss since a May 2016 set against DBU—a string of 17-straight regular-season conference weekends over four different seasons without dropping a series.

Game 1 – Illinois State 7, MSU 5
Despite scoring five times in the first three innings and getting five shutout innings from Logan Wiley to start the game, the Bears could not stop the Redbird offense in the latter innings, dropping their third-straight Valley game and their fourth-consecutive contest overall.

Tyson Hays infield single plated the go-ahead runs, capping a string of seven unanswered tallies for the Redbirds in the sixth and seventh innings. Hays, who also delivered an RBI double in ISU's four-run sixth, finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs to help spearhead the late scoring surge.

After scoring just one run in Friday's series opener, MSU bolted from the gate in game two, seizing a first-inning lead on Ben Whetstone's two-run double. The Bears added another run on the first of Joey Polak's two sacrifice flies to take a 3-0 lead.

Jack Duffy, who extended his career-best hit streak to 11 games with his first-inning single, made it a four-run game with his first home run of the season to lead off the third. Whetstone came through with his second double of the afternoon, moved to third on Dakota Kotowski's single and scored on another Polak fly ball to center.

MSU appeared to have the game in hand with Wiley in command early. The junior right-hander stranded ISU baserunners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, striking out three Redbirds in the process.

Wiley retired ISU in order in the third, before running into a fourth-inning jam, as back-to-back singles and a fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with nobody out. But a pair of strikeouts, plus catcher Logan Geha's pickoff of Joe Butler at first squashed the threat, keeping the Redbirds scoreless.

ISU started its comeback with a Derek Parola single in the sixth, finally breaking into the scoring column on Joe Aeilts opposite-field, two-run homer to pull to within 5-2. Butler followed with a double to left, and Gunner Peterson singled ahead of Hays' run-scoring two-bagger and Jack Butler's RBI bouncer to second that made it a one-run affair.

The Redbirds took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman to even the score in the seventh, as Peterson coaxed a free pass from Connor Sechler with the bases loaded. Hays followed with the lone hit of the rally—and perhaps the key blow in the game—lacing a sharp liner that caromed off shortstop Mason Hull's backhanded attempt for a two-run single that put the home club in front to stay.

Given the lead, ISU's Colton Johnson (4-0) slammed the door shut on the Bears, logging 3.0 hitless innings over which he struck out six batters. In all, the duo of Johnson and Rhett Rapshus held the Bears hitless over the final four frames, allowing just two MSU baserunners.

Duffy and Whetstone each registered two-hit games for MSU, while Sechler (2-3) shouldered the loss after allowing the final three ISU runs of the contest.

Game 2 – Illinois State 5, MSU 3
Parola, who finished the three-game series 4-for-9 at the plate, drove in three runs in the second game, including a pair on a two-out triple in the bottom of the eighth inning that proved to be the difference.

Matt Walker (2-5) shut down the MSU lineup on just one run on two hits over 7.0 innings to pace a Redbird pitching staff that totaled 21 strikeouts in the doubleheader and 36 for the series.

ISU scored single runs in three consecutive innings, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the third on a one-out Parola single following Rave's double off MSU starter Davis Schwab. After Polak knotted the score with his sixth home run of the season in fourth, the Redbirds took advantage of three walks and a Jack Butler single to force home the go-ahead run in the home half of the inning.

Aeilts pushed the lead to 3-1 in the fifth, driving a one-out offering from Schwab over the wall in left for his second round-tripper of the afternoon.

From there, Walker stifled the MSU offense, retiring the final 11 batters he faced following the Polak home run. Reliever Jack Anderson set down the first two Bears he faced to start the eighth, before John Privitera snapped the string with the first homer of his collegiate career—a solo shot to right that pulled MSU to within a run.

But ISU (21-14, 5-1 MVC) had an answer yet again, cashing in on Parola's liner down the right-field line that chased home both Jack Butler and Aidan Huggins to take a 5-2 advantage into the ninth.

Missouri State mounted one last rally, using a leadoff single by Drew Millas and the third Whetstone double of the afternoon to generate a scoring chance. Kotowski drew a free base courtesy of a hit by pitch to load the bases, and Mason Hull brought in Millas with a sac fly to the warning track in center. But ISU reliever Jacob Gilmore handled Anthony Herron, Jr.'s come-backer to the mound, stranding the potential tying run at first base.

Whetstone finished the doubleheader 4-for-8 with three doubles, while Duffy saw his 11-game streak end with an 0-for-3 effort.

Schwab (1-4) took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits and six walks, despite striking out six over his 4.2 innings. Hayden Juenger allowed the two ISU runs in the eighth, scattering three hits over his 3.1 innings of relief.

Up next, the Bears return to Hammons Field Tuesday (April 16) to open their annual home-and-home series with in-state rival Missouri with a 6:30 p.m. (CDT) contest.