Photo courtesy goredbirds.com
NORMAL, Ill.- Great pitching and a huge run in the bottom of the sixth inning helped propel the way for Illinois State baseball on Friday, as the Redbirds (19-29, 9-12 MVC) defeated Missouri State (16-20, 6-11 MVC) to take the weekend series opener against the Bears.
Redshirt senior Colton Johnson tossed six and a half innings allowing only one run, five strikeouts, five hits, and finished the game with a 3.22 ERA. The left-handed pitcher benefited from a huge scoring run in the bottom of the sixth inning that propelled the Redbirds to hold a commanding 4-1 lead. Redbirds Head Coach Steve Holm commented on the change of performance for Johnson.
“Colton always throws well when it starts to get hot,” said head coach Holm. “In Illinois, it doesn’t get hot until the last couple starts. He always seems to heat up when you get warm weather. This is more what you look for in the next couple starts.”
The Bears were able to tack on one more run in the top of the ninth inning but still fell short losing 4 to 2. The Redbirds look to keep momentum going as they host the double header with the first game starting at 1 pm.