NORMAL, Ill. - - Belmont (25-30, 12-15 MVC) and Illinois State (28-25, 16-11 MVC) played their final game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field. Illinois State's ten hits and two home runs from Judah Morris lifted the Redbirds to a series win and 8-1 victory over the Bruins.
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Bruin Bullets
Illinois State scored the first runs of the game in the first inning. A two-run home run from Judah Morris gave the Redbirds a 2-0 lead.
Jordan Zuger had three strikeouts in the inning.
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After the first inning, Zuger settled in and retired the next five batters. His outing ended after his season-high five innings of work and five strikeouts.Â
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Belmont got on the board in the sixth inning.
Blake Barton hit a one-out solo home run to left field. Barton's second home run of the season made it a 2-1 deficit for the Bruins.
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Illinois State scored two runs on three hits in the sixth inning. Daniel Pacella hit a solo shot to right field. Shai Robinson hit an RBI triple to right-center field. The Redbirds led 4-1 after six innings.
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The Redbirds doubled their run total in the seventh on a grand slam from Morris. He ended the game with six RBIs and carried the Redbirds to a series win in the regular season finale, 8-1.
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Belmont prepares for the MVC Baseball Championship hosted by Evansville beginning Tuesday, May 21. The Bruins enter the tournament as the seventh seed and face No. 6 Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night. Fans can stream the game on ESPN+ or listen live to Rich Tiner on iHeartRadio. Visit
belmontbruins.com for information about the MVC Baseball Championship and information for attending games.
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