Sophomore Ryan Cermak and junior Jake McCaw blasted back-to-back home runs in the 8th inning to lift the Illinois State baseball team to a 4-3 victory over Missouri State at Hammons Field on Sunday.

Cermak's 18th home run of the season tied the game at 3-3 before McCaw's 12th home run of 2022 put the Redbirds (19-27 overall, 6-12 Missouri Valley Conference) on top for good.

Sophomore Justin Schubert threw 4.1 innings in relief, recording the win as he did not allow a run in the 7th, 8th, or 9th innings. Senior Colin Wyman also had a solid showing on the mound, allowing one run in 4.2 innings. Wyman was forced to exit the game after a 1:41 rain delay.

Cermak robbed what would have been a game-tying home run in the 4th inning.

The Bears drop back to .500 at 24-24 overall and move to 7-11 in the MVC.

Illinois State is scheduled to play at Indiana on Tuesday with a 6:00 p.m. CT start, seeking to defeat its fourth Big Ten team in 2022.