NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State baseball team kept it close, but would never lead, as the Redbirds dropped the series opener to Bradley by a final of 6-5 on Friday at Duffy Bass Field.

A home run from sophomore Graham Mastros and junior Daniel Pacella provided key runs as the Redbirds (18-17 overall, 9-4 MVC) battled back from an 4-1 deficit to ultimately tie the game in the 7th.

The Braves (6-27, 2-11 MVC) would hit back-to-back home runs in the 8th for the one-run victory.

Top Hitters:

• Graham Mastros: 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
• Daniel Pacella: 1-for-4, HR, RBI, R
• Josh Outlaw: 2-for-3, RBI, R

Pitching Breakdown:

• Thomas Harper: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB
• Tresdon Rybarczyk: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's
• Matthew Donnison (L, 3-2): 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Joe Husak: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

Scoring Breakdown:

• Bradley pulled ahead early, scoring a run in the bottom of the 1st with an RBI single
• Kyle Gibson tallied an RBI single in the 5th to knot the score at 1-1
• The Braves scored off a passed ball and two-run home run in the bottom of the 5th to retake the lead at 4-1
• Mastros knocked out home run no. three of the year in the 6th to trim the margin to 4-3
• Pacella tied the game in the 7th with a solo shot to make it 4-4, his 11th home run of the year
• Outlaw gave ILS the lead in the 8th with an RBI single for the 5-4 advantage
• Back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the 8th allowed Bradley to take a 6-5 lead for the game one victory

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Pacella has reached base in 27 straight games
• The Redbirds move to 9-3 at home this season

UP NEXT

Illinois State and Bradley return to Duffy Bass Field for a Saturday doubleheader to end the series. First pitch on Saturday is set for 1 PM.

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