Illinois State dropped the 12th annual Horenberger-Bass Classic against Illinois Wesleyan 10-4 Tuesday at Jack Horenberger Field

 

Owen Miller led the Redbirds with three hits in the game, as Joe Aeilts and Derek Parola each had two hits. No person had more than one RBI, and no one had more than one run scored in the game.

 

Illinois State struck first in the game when Miller hit a one-out infield single, and was advanced to second after Noah Sadler was hit by a pitch. A batter later, Aeilts singled through the left side of the infield, scoring Miller, and putting the Redbirds ahead 1-0.

 

Illinois Wesleyan received a season-best pitching performance by sophomore Jim O'Brien (2-1) on Tuesday as the winning pitcher allowed just one earned run over five innings pitched and struck out seven Redbird batters.

 

IWU's six-run fourth inning outburst was highlighted by a towering three-run home run by sophomore center fielder Nick Figus. Senior Joey Holtz opened the scoring for Illinois Wesleyan with a two-run double to right center-field.

 

Illinois Wesleyan added four more runs in the fifth inning with two coming by way of a single from senior Mike Plecki. The Titans scoring outburst concluded with an RBI single from senior catcher Seth Palmby, which gave IWU a 10-1 lead over Illinois State. Sophomore Garrett Shea, Figus, Palmby, and Holtz each finished with two hits for Illinois Wesleyan.

 

Jacob Gilmore started the game for the Redbirds and had a no-decision as he allowed just one hit over three innings of work while striking out one.

 

Illinois State returns to action on Saturday, April 28 when the team travels to Indianapolis to take on the Butler Bulldogs.

 

Illinois Wesleyan is back in action on Wednesday, April 25 with a 1 p.m. home doubleheader against North Park University.

 

The Titans are now 19-12 while the Redbirds fell to 14-23. This is Illinois Wesleyan third victory in the 11-game series with Illinois State holding an 8-3 advantage.