Artwork by
Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

Bats ice cold like the weather, Tigers fall to Illinois State
Ryan Maris, Corner Post Staff

As the Tigers came home for a four-game home stand, they dropped the first game to the Illinois State Redbirds, five to four in eleven innings. In a game where Coach Tim Jamieson said, "The only three good swings we had were the three hits," the Tigers held Illinois State scoreless through seven and two-thirds innings.

Two of the three good hits on the day came in the fourth inning for the Tigers. James Boone broke up the Redbird no-hitter with a single to right. Then Lee Laskowski came up and turned on a pitch, sending it high and deep over the left field bullpen, making the score two to zero Tigers. That would be the score until the eighth inning.

Freshman lefty Nathan Culp led the Tigers all the way through these innings with his dominant pitching. Culp scattered seven hits and had seven strikeouts, walking none and hitting two batters before the eighth inning. It was then Illinois State had a leadoff single, then Culp got his eighth strikeout of the game. A fly out to center lead to a visit to the mound from Jamieson.

The next Redbird hitter crushed a home run to center. After hitting the next batter and another single, Culp was pulled for Taylor Parker. On the afternoon, Culp had 8 strikeouts, no walks; two hit batsmen, and gave up two runs in almost eight innings of work.

After a scoreless ninth inning this put the game into extra frames. In the bottom of the tenth the Tigers tried to move Cody Ehlers over to third on a bunt but it was too soft and he was thrown out, stopping a potential rally.

The Redbirds came out flying in the 11th inning, leading off with a double and a botched bunt play that ended with men on first and third. This set up a Redbird to single up the middle, scoring two runs. He then stole second, and scored on the next hit. Max Scherzer then came in for the Tigers, their fifth pitcher on the day. He struck out a batter and the last out popped up to end the inning.

The Tigers went down in order in the bottom half of the eleventh to end the two hour and 46 minute game. This brought the Tigers to 15 wins, four losses, and one tie to Washington on the year. They have a three game series this weekend against Chicago State and open up Conference play next weekend against Kansas State with another three game series.

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