The Illinois State baseball team spotted Illinois Wesleyan three runs in the first inning but claimed the lead by the third inning and hung on in the end to win the battle of crosstown foes, 7-5, at Duffy Bass Field Wednesday afternoon.

Nick Zouras drove in four runs, and Mitch Weis and Jack Spicer led a quartet of Redbird pitchers, picking up the win and the save, respectively, to preserve the win for Illinois State.

 

Zouras went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run hits, including a double. Weis, who was called on to start the second inning, tossed three scoreless frames, while Spicer pitched 2.1 scoreless innings and faced the minimum number of batters, thanks in part to a spectacular ninth-inning double play started after Owen Miller snagged a hard-hit grounder to shortstop.

 

The Illinois State baseball team returns to Duffy Bass Field for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series with Evansville, beginning Friday at 6 p.m.