Sycamores sweep three-game home series with Bradley

The ISU baseball team (20-11, 7-3 MVC) took on Bradley University (11-19, 0-7 MVC) in home field conference action this weekend.

The Sycamores came into the game as the heavy favorite, with Bradley struggling to win a game, and immediately showed everyone why.

Friday's game was postponed due to winter weather conditions, so the two teams took each other on in a double header on Saturday.

ISU dominated and swept both of the games, winning 9-5 in the first game and 10-2 in the second.

The first game was a tight one with the Sycamores down in the eighth inning 5-4 after Bradley took two runs off of junior pitcher Eric Valdez, ending his time on the mound for the game, and one other run off junior relief pitcher Scott Harlan. ISU came back in the bottom of the eighth inning, however, with an overwhelming five runs to reclaim the lead and secure the victory.

Senior pitcher Matt Shelton kept the lead alive, getting a pair of strikeouts in the ninth inning with the bases loaded. Senior center fielder Nick Ciolli finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI, while junior catcher Tyler Graham added a couple of hits and RBI for ISU in the win in game one.

Junior center fielder Ryan Strausborger extended his hitting streak to 13 games straight with a hit.

Game two saw more strong pitching from ISU with sophomore pitcher Jake Petricka only allowing one earned run on three hits and three strike outs in eight innings on the mound.

Along with the strong pitching, the Sycamores took the offensive early with a lead of 3-0 by the bottom of the second inning.

Ciolli finished the game with a hit and three more RBI to give him six on the day, while freshman catcher Joe Meggs and freshman outfielder Kyle Burnam added two hits and two RBI each in the winning effort for the Sycamores.

The Sycamores earned the series sweep on Sunday with a crushing 12-4 victory over Bradley. Senior outfielder Brady Shoemaker finished the day 3-for-4 with two runs scored and junior third baseman Luke Fieser was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a RBI.

ISU returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to Missouri University for a two-game midweek series. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Mo.